


We're On The Air

by gaydemonium



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Barista Magnus, Enemies to Friends, M/M, Malec, Malec AU, Malec Fluff, Malec Smut, picture Alec on the radio with that deep radio voice of his, radio host alec
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-10-22 05:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10690443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaydemonium/pseuds/gaydemonium
Summary: Alec is a cocky radio show host and famous podcaster. Magnus is a barista who can't stand Alec and his cockiness.Some chapters are written in script form to sound like a radio show. New "episodes" of Alec In The AM and Malec Late At Night will "air" the 2nd and 18th of every month.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I made an account on twitter for this fic. It’s a fun way for you readers to get directly involved with the story! Any tweets you send will be read out by Alec here in the story for his podcast. Cool huh? If you have a twitter you can follow @AlecInTheAM and talk with Alec himself hahaha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I made an account on twitter for this fic. It’s a fun way for you readers to get directly involved with the story! Any tweets you send will be read out by Alec here in the story for his podcast. Cool huh? If you have a twitter you can follow @AlecInTheAM and talk with Alec himself hahaha

"...and in other news, there's been an accident over on York Avenue so pedestrians are advised to avoid that area until further notice. With that being said, my time here is up. As always, I'm your host Alec, bringing you updates live from the Big Apple itself, and I'll catch you in the AM. Have a great day, New York."

Alec looked up to see his producer, Maia, give him the thumbs up from the studio booth. This meant they were off the air and he could take off his headphones. 

"Excellent show today, big guy. I think listeners really responded to your topic on the pride parade," she hip checked him as they met up in the hall. "Wanna grab a slice? My treat."

"Can't. I have plans with my sister this afternoon. Izzy wants to check out NYU before applying. She's particular about, well, everything." Alec grabbed his jacket, hastily putting it on. "Catch you tomorrow?"

Maia bowed her head. "Always. I'll have tomorrow's headlines ready for you on your desk. Tell the sister I said best of luck!"

Isabelle only lived five minutes away from the studio but because so many people recognized Alec being the voice of Alec In The AM, they often stopped him on the street for a photo so it took a little longer than five minutes to get to her place. 

"Where the hell were you?" An unimpressed Isabelle Lightwood grumbled as Alec walked up to her apartment door as she was coming out of it. "I was waiting for you for twenty minutes. You're legit just around the block from here."

"Sorry. I got mobbed by fans again. It just wouldn't be me if I ignored them." Alec laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Relax. I'm here now, aren't I? It's not like I ditched you and ran off somewhere much more important."

"Oh, my wounded heart. Why don't you just stab me and get it over with already? Stop smiling! Jerk," Isabelle grinned as Alec wiggled his eyebrows. "I hate you. You make me so angry."

"Lies. You love your big brother. Otherwise you wouldn't be going to check out the university with me." Alec draped an arm over her shoulder with a smile. "Besides. I studied media arts there. I know people. I have connections."

Isabelle slid out from under his arm with a chuckle. "To be honest, I text, like, six other people before I got around to asking you. So you weren't exactly my first choice."

Alec feigned being hurt, placing a hand on his left breast and stumbling forward. "I suddenly can't breathe. I don't know-"

"Stop!" Isabelle wheezed with laughter. "My neighbors are going to come out of their apartments wondering what all the noise out here is."

"I'll just tell them you stabbed me in the heart. Left me to die."

"Oh that'll bode well for me. I can see the headline already." Isabelle raised her hands as if displaying the words in the air. "'Famous Radio Host Murdered By Sister'. You'll be a freaking trend on Twitter."

"At least you mentioned I was famous-" Alec laughed as he raced down the stairs, Isabelle punching his shoulder. "I'm joking! Geez. Ow. Your knuckles got me right in the bone...."

"Good. Now shut up and put your ego to bed for a bit. It's my time to shine. Isabelle In The Afternoon," she winked and twirled around on the sidewalk, her long black hair blowing in the wind. 

Isabelle was an Instagram model, signing her first contract with a modelling agency just a few weeks ago. She also wanted to major in theatre, but trying to balance school and work was still something she was trying figure out. Even with Alec's help she was still unsure of the whole modelling thing. 

"I'm taking a selfie!" She announced to no one in particular. "Get in the picture, Sasquatch! I'm making your presence known on social media."

"I'm on social media," Alec retorted. He made a smouldering face for the camera, while Isabelle gave her most charming smile. "And don't call me that. It's embarrassing."

"What's embarrassing is your sense of fashion. Beige wool sweater with a gray jacket? And those pants? Atrocious," Isabelle fake gagged. "By the way, I heard your show today. I'm surprised you haven't had any declarations of love sent to you yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alec stopped by a vendor and got two hotdogs for them. He liked his with a lot of mustard. Isabelle ate them plain. 

"What I mean," Isabelle said through a mouthful of hot dog, "is that I haven't seen you go on a single date since you've started radio. I know you've had letters sent to you, Alec. Phone calls too."

Alec cringed. "They were creeps anyway. Nothing else better to do than send me a hundred tweets with the same message on it through Twitter. It's weird."

"And no fans caught your eye either?"

"Isabelle. Can we not talk about this in public? Of all places to have this conversation and you choose the busy streets of New York."

Isabelle tossed her empty hot dog wrapper in a garbage bin. "You're right. Sorry. It's just that I'm worried about you, Alec. You're so caught up with work that you never make time for yourself."

"Work is time for myself. I'm alone in a booth with nothing but headphones and a mic. There's literally nothing more self-intimate than that."

"I don't think self-intimate is a word."

"Well it is now. I'm getting a coffee. Want one?"

Isabelle shrugged. "Sure. Get my usual."

Alec smirked. "I didn't say I was buying. I just wanted to know if you wanted one too."

Isabelle flipped him the finger. "Jerk."

\----------

Magnus heard the bell above the door jingle and turned around with a heavy sigh to face the customer. "Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get for you today?"

The tall, hazel eyed man with a shock of messy black hair adjusted the blue scarf around his neck. "Uh, I'll just a coffee. Black. My sister wants something that sounds a Harry Potter spell. I don't pay much attention to when she talks-"

"Jerk!" yelled the young woman sitting a table not far from them. She looked very much like the handsome man at the counter except her eyes were a shade darker. Both the young man and woman were the most beautiful people Magnus had ever laid eyes on. 

"Ignore her. I usually do," the man smiled. 

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Alrighty then. My shift is already off to a weird start...."

The tall man cocked his head. "Wait...you don't recognize me?"

Magnus looked him up and down. "I don't know. Should I? It's not like hundreds of people pass through here. It's Starbucks."

"So that's a no?"

"It's a definite no. Your face just blurs in along with everyone else's."

The hazel eyed man frowned, seemingly defeated as he waited for his order. Once he had them, he handed Magnus a bill. "Keep the change. Hope your day gets less weird."

Magnus stared at the $20 bill with a stunned expression. Both dark haired beauties left, drinks in hand, yelling obscenities at each other. What the hell just happened?

"Bane! Money goes in the cash register. Not in your hands," his boss Catarina Loss snapped. "And I can't believe you don't recognize Alec Lightwood."

"Should I know who that is?"

She glared at him. "I almost docked you of pay. Had to fight the urge. Don't you listen to the radio?"

"It's 2017. I doubt anyone does anymore."

"Smartass. He hosts the popular radio show 'Alec In The AM' which is also a podcast. All of his shows are on iTunes. All free to download. You should give him a listen sometime. Everyone adores him."

"Well he seemed like a dick to me," Magnus shrugged. 

"Did you do something to him?"

"Other than take his order like my job description entails? No. I did not do anything to him. He's just cocky because he has a popular radio show. I know his type. I've dated a dozen of them."

Catarina cracked her gum. "Whatever, Bane. I'll be around back doing stock. If you need me, just yell. Ragnor does it all the time."

"I'm sure he does," Magnus grumbled just as another customer walked in. "Hi, welcome to Starbucks. What can I get you?"

\----------

After they had looked at NYU, Alec went back into the studio to write up tomorrow's reviews. Everyone else had long gone, and sometimes when he was alone he liked to record a special late night podcast every now and then. Maia didn't mind him recording at night, so that's exactly what he did. He called it Alec Late At Night.

As he slipped the headphones on over his ears, he hit the record button on his laptop, getting ready to speak. Once he knew he was live, he took a deep breath and began to talk. 

"Good evening, New York City. You're listening to Alec Late At Night. Even though it's not exactly late at night, I thought I'd record a show anyway to talk about a pressing issue in our beautiful city..."

Twenty minutes later, he clued up the show and placed the audio file on an USB so he could upload it at home. It was definitely dark out by the time he left the radio station and it was more than likely it'll be late at night when the show was uploaded and available online for people to download and listen to. 

The subway took fifteen minutes for it to reach his part of New York, his apartment overlooking a nice view of the ocean and Lady Liberty herself. It was your standard New York bachelor apartment; average size with just the essentials to get you by. It wasn't fancy like most of the apartments in downtown NYC but he managed. As long as it had wifi, Alec was good to go. 

"Alright. Let's get you uploaded, shall we?" He said once he was stripped down into his boxer shorts and stretched out on his couch. His laptop resting on his knee, he worked with one hand while the other wrote down notes in his notebook. These were just little scribbles he made here and there on how to improve the show or ideas for segments. 

At 11:27, he was finished for the night. Bed was calling out to him and after a long day of running around, he was exhausted. Shuffling into his room, he collapsed into bed and threw the sheets over him, dozing off instantly. 

A faint buzzing noise woke him up. His phone, laying on the table beside his bed, was vibrating. The screen read Maia. 

Alec rolled his eyes but picked up anyway. He couldn't ignore his producer. "It's late, Maia. What's up?"

"I just heard your show. Did you record this earlier?"

Alec looked at the clock. "It's 11:45. I uploaded that literally twenty minutes ago. You have it listened to already?"

"What can I say? I'm a huge fan," she laughed, "and I love listening to you talk. Your voice is so sexy. Everyone goes crazy for it."

"Uh huh," he yawned. "You done? I have to wake up early in the morning. Errands and other stuff."

"Oh yeah. Sorry. I always forget that you get up early. I love your dedication, Alec. It's going to get you far in life," she said. "Alec? Alec, did you fall asleep on me?"

Alec, his head back on his pillow, was sound asleep with his mouth gaping open and snoring softly, his phone in his outstretched hand. 

"Sweet dreams, Alec. I'll see you tomorrow," Maia whispered before hanging up with a smile, though Alec couldn't see it. 

\----------

Magnus finished his shift that evening and went straight to the small supermarket on the corner of his street to get some groceries. Hodge, the man who owned the place, was seated next to an iPhone dock when he came in. Hodge looked up once, offered a smile, then went right back to listening to whatever it was that he was listening to. 

Magnus shrugged. He didn't care if nobody noticed him. It was actually better that way if they didn't. There was nothing worse than people who purposely tried to stand out to get attention, and thankfully he wasn't one of those people. Unlike that guy with the hazel eyes he met today...what was his name again?

"Alec," Hodge suddenly said, "has a talent. He makes you see pictures with his voice alone."

Magnus looked up from the bread section. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Hodge tapped the dock with a finger. "His podcast? Sometimes he uploads an episode at night. Just talks about whatever is on his mind."

Magnus snorted. "And people listen to that crap?"

"I do," Hodge frowned. "He tackles important issues. Like earlier today he talked about Pride Parade. Said it was a time for peace and not hate. It's time the world started smartening up and stop being ignorant."

"I hate to break it to you Hodge but he's not the first person to have said that. I probably said it at least a dozen times myself today," Magnus said as he placed his items on the counter. "Pack of cigarettes too. I'm out."

"Thought you were quitting?" Hodge asked. 

"I say a lot of things. I never mean them half the time."

Hodge raised an eyebrow, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "Here. It's Alec's podcast. You should check him out if you haven't already."

Magnus took the paper. "Thanks but I don't think I will. I'm not one for podcasts."

Hodge laughed. "I said the same thing. Then I discovered Alec's show." He scanned Magnus' items, pointing the pack of cigarettes at him. "Trust me on this, Magnus. Just give him a listen. I promise you won't regret it."

"Thanks Hodge," Magnus said as he paid for his groceries. "It's always a pleasure talking to you."

"I'm serious, Bane. Check him out!"

Magnus rolled his eyes as he went through the automatic doors, muttering "You check him out."

Finally home, he unpacked his groceries and settled down onto the couch with his laptop, opening up Facebook to see what was going on. His place overlooked the busy streets of New York and was probably the size of a closet. He wasn't exactly sure or ever took measurements. He was just judging by one look at it. 

Five minutes in, he grew bored. It was always the same old stuff anyway; people posting about their weekend, complaining about their ex, or announcing they're pregnant (again). 

Groaning, Magnus closed his laptop when he noticed something fall to the floor. Picking it up, he saw that it was just the note Hodge gave him with Alec's podcast written on it. 

He supposed it couldn't hurt to give it a try. If he got bored of it he could always turn it off and head to bed. Hodge better be right about this radio show and Alec had better be one hell of a radio host. 

Typing in the podcast name in the search bar, Magnus clicked on the picture of a flame with the words Alec In The AM written around it. He started with episode one, as most people would, closed his eyes and listened. 

"Good morning, New York City! I'm Alec Lightwood and you're listening to a brand new podcast unlike anything you've heard before. Not only is this a podcast, it's also a live show that's happening on your radio right now. For the younger generation, a radio is a device that us old folks listen to the news and music on."

Magnus smirked, his eyes still closed. Alec's voice was so soothing to listen to; deep and sonorous, and smooth like butter. He found himself lost in Alec's voice, imagining it talking right in his ear. 

It was strange. Even though he couldn't see Alec, his voice was so expressive that he could see Alec smiling or frowning or making other facial expressions, and it was all because of his voice alone. As much as Magnus tried not to like it....he did. 

When he opened his eyes again, it was 2:47 in the morning. He had fallen asleep listening the podcast episodes. Plus he had a shift later in the morning. 

The funny thing was, he remembered every word of the twelve episodes he managed to listen to while he was asleep. Every topic Alec talked about, every word that escaped that mouth-

Oh god. He hadn't thought much about it before when he first met Alec, but the hazel eyed man had a captivating mouth. Tantalizing, almost. The way it curved up crookedly when he smiled. His teeth biting his plump lower lip, leaving his upper lip vulnerable-

"Jesus Christ," Magnus slammed his laptop closed and leaned forward to cover his face with his hands. He couldn't be thinking these kinds of things. Especially when he knew that Alec was a cocky asshole who thought the world bowed at his feet. But he really did have nice lips....

"I'm going to bed!" Magnus yelled at no one in particular. His neighbors probably thought he was crazy, but that was nothing unusual. Talking to oneself implied intelligence, as the saying goes. He must be a genius if he was constantly talking to himself when he was alone. Although having someone to talk to every now and then wouldn't hurt. 

Crawling under his sheets, he stared at the ceiling for several minutes before closing his eyes in exhaustion. It wasn't long before he woke up and reached for his phone and opening up the podcasts app and turning on Alec's show again. 

"One more episode. Then sleep. Just one," he mumbled to himself, closing his eyes as he let Alec's low voice fill his senses. 

He listened to ten more episodes that night before the battery of his phone drained.

\----------

"Good morning, New York. Welcome to another episode of Alec In The AM. I'm your host, Alec Lightwood. This morning is looking a little dull with some slight drizzle, so bring your umbrella with you today in case you plan on walking anywhere. The sun is taking a little vacation today."

The show was longer than usual today, going over its normal 20 minute limit. Alec had added a new segment (which was one he couldn't believe that he never thought of before in the past). It was an Ask Alec segment. People could either call in or tweet questions to him and he'd answer them to the best of his ability. 

"And that's our show for today, folks. Until next time and as always, I'll catch you in the AM. Have a great day, New York."

Maia gave him the thumbs up from the studio booth. Her signature move. "That's a wrap for today's show. You're in a sour mood today, big guy. You can't hear it over the radio but I can see it on your face."

Alec sighed. "Sorry. I'm just tired. My producer called me late last night and I didn't much sleep after that."

Maia cringed. "Yeah....I'm so sorry about that. I was just so excited that you recorded late at night again. I love your late night episodes. There's hardly any filter on the night episodes."

"I try to keep it as PG as possible, Maia-"

"I know. I'm not mad at you or anything. I'm just saying that I love how open you are about things. It's like a side of you that nobody ever sees. Or hears, in this case."

Alec snorted, scoffing. "Open. Sure. That's me. I'm very open."

Maia followed him to the break room. "You know what I meant, Alec. I didn't mean it to sound the way it did."

"Well you did, Maia. Good job," Alec gave her a thumbs up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have look up songs for tomorrow's show. Are the listener requests on my desk?"

Maia huffed as he walked past her. "I love you Alec, but sometimes you're a real jerk. I'm only trying to talk to you. Like friends do from time to time. You do know what friends are, right?"

Alec glared down at her. "Don't patronize me, Maia. And tell me something I don't already know."

He closed the door to his office and sat at his desk, breathing hard through his nose. The stress that he had been suppressing since this morning was now hitting him all at once. It was bad enough he was exhausted with lack of sleep but adding stress on top of that was only adding to the exhaustion that he already felt. 

It all started when he had to go to his parent's new house to help move in some furniture. After a few chairs were brought in, his mother Maryse had to open her mouth and comment on something or another. 

"Are you eating properly? You looked a bit skinnier than usual," she commented. 

"Still eating the same, mom. I've always been lanky like this," he lift a chair into the porch and placed it in the doorway next to the dining room. "Where does this one go?"

"Upstairs in your father's study. Are you sure you're okay? You look pale."

Alec moved her hand off his face with his own. "I'm fine. Just didn't get much sleep last night. Was up late uploading another show. Then after that my producer called to ramble on about how much she loved it."

Maryse frowned. "I don't mean to sound offensive-"

"Which you probably will anyway."

"....Alec sweetie, you really should get a real job. Your dad has connections at the construction company he used to work for. He can find you-"

"I can't believe it," Alec half chuckled, half scoffed. "After all these years of doing these radio shows you're still not 100% supportive of me. Dad is. Izzy, Jace and Max are. So what's wrong with you? Why can't you accept me?"

Maryse lost all the color in her face. "I am. I just don't want to see you fail or lose interest...."

Alec raised an eyebrow. "I've been doing the show for three years, mom. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Its popularity exploded since I started doing this. I'm doing okay for myself."

"I know," Maryse forced a smile. "I know you are, sweetie."

And that was the end of that conversation. 

The second thing was stressing him out was the sarcastic barista at the Starbucks he always goes to in the morning. He must've been new there; Alec had never seen him before until yesterday. 

"Welcome to Starbucks. Same as yesterday?" The barista drawled. He seemed bored with what he was doing. 

"Yeah. I guess. Hey, are you new here? I haven't seen you around before. I'm a regular here and this is only the second time I've seen you working."

The barista shrugged as he poured up the coffee. "I've worked at other coffee shops before. Just not at this one," he handed Alec the coffee. "That'll be $3.95, Alec."

Alec paused. "You know who I am?"

"I didn't until yesterday when my boss told me who you were. Then I went home after my shift and listened to some of your shows."

".....and? Did you like them?"

"They're mediocre, at best."

This pissed Alec off to no end all morning. He was not mediocre. He was much more than that. 

The third and final thing that Alec was stressed about was that he hadn't told his mother about the other thing that he knew she wouldn't be too happy about. It was the one thing he knew she'd lose her mind over more than the whole radio show/podcast thing. 

He was gay.

He came out to his siblings months ago but hadn't found the right moment to tell his parents, although he believed that his father knows that something is up. He just hadn't had time to confront Alec about it yet. It was only easy to come out to Izzy and Jace, being as supportive as they were, and even little Max was cool with it even if he didn't fully understand what was going on. It was just their mother he had doubts with. 

Alec groaned and gripped his hair in frustration. He needed a nap. Fifteen minutes at the most. Just so he could clear his head and get of a bit of the exhaustion that ran through his veins. Thankfully, there was a couch in his office (even if he was a bit too tall for it) that he could lie down on for a bit and close his eyes. Maybe he should lock his door just in case....

He decided against it. Going over to the couch and sprawling out on it, he closed his eyes and began to doze off....

Knock knock knock. "Alec? Phone call for you. It's some guy. Says you spoke to him at Starbucks today?" Came Maia's voice from outside the closed door. 

Alec moaned. "I'm not here! Tell him I died."

"Answer the damn phone, Alexander. I'll come in there. Don't make me do it."

With a groan, he got to his feet and sat back down at his desk again. "Alec Lightwood speaking."

"Hi. I'm the guy who served you at Starbucks today? Remember me?"

Alec rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I can barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning let alone names, sir."

The barista laughed. "That's because I didn't tell you and you didn't bother to ask. Which is rude, by the way. It says right on my name tag who I am."

Alec suppressed a groan of frustration. "What can I do for you, barista whose name I forgot to ask about?"

"....fair enough. I'm actually calling about what I can do for you. My boss saw that you came in again today and would like to sponsor your show. We can sell your merch here at the shop for 25% of the profits. Free advertising for you, extra cash for us. Sound fair?"

Alec opened up his list of sponsors on his laptop. Starbucks wasn't on the list, surprisingly. "Uh, sure. Let me talk it over with my producer and she'll call you right back."

"Okay. I already gave her the number to the shop here so she already knows how to get in touch," the barista said. He paused for a moment. "And it's Magnus, by the way. Magnus Bane."

Then he hung up.

"What the-" Alec held the phone a foot away from his ear, the dial tone the only sound coming from the earpiece. He scowled, hanging up in anger. 

Someone knocked on the door. "Everything okay?" Maia poked her head inside. 

"How'd you know I was frustrated?"

Maia tapped the wall. "Walls are only thin. You'd be surprised what I can hear on three out of four sides of my office. Plus your voice is only easy to pinpoint around here."

Alec chuckled as she plopped down on the couch. "I didn't mean to disturb you or anyone else here. Is Jordan still here?"

"Yup. He's contacting local bands for the live show."

"Wait. We're having a band in here?"

"Yeah. I thought we talked about this."

"No," Alec shook his head, "we didn't. Where are they performing?"

"I think Jordan is setting up the second recording booth once he finds a band. Is that okay with you?"

Watching her expression for a moment, Alec nodded. "Yeah. That's fine. Just....run ideas by me next time before planning anything?"

Maia saluted him. "Aye aye, captain. You doing a show tonight?"

"No. I'm going home, making spaghetti and going to bed. Maybe if I'm lucky no one will call at all hours of the night?"

"Or," Maia smiled sweetly, "you can just turn off your phone." She blew him a kiss before leaving his office, closing the door behind her. 

She had a good point. 

\----------

"How far are you with Alec In The AM?" 

Magnus and Catarina were seated at a table that evening, sipping a coffee and eating their dinner. Business was shockingly slow so it gave them a chance to sit down and kick their sore feet up for a little bit. As they sat and drank their coffee, traffic moved past the window like a blur of lights, all in a hurry to be somewhere. 

"I asked you a question, Bane. I expect an answer," Catarina grumbled. 

"Uh, episode 16? I think. I'll have to check when I get home." Magnus sipped his coffee. "I called the radio station today. Said Starbucks would sponsor the show."

"And you didn't think to ask me if that was okay?" Catarina cracked her gum. "It's fine. Whatever. I love the show so Alec's cool in my book. I'd do anything to help support his show. I remember he did a Halloween episode one time. Told all kinds of scary stories. I was off that night and me and my girlfriend were huddled up in the bed that night listening to him tell a story. It scared the shit out of us. But we had a lot of fun listening to him that night. You'll get around to that episode soon."

Magnus cupped his hands around his warm cup. "It's so weird though. He's such a dick in person but on the radio....it's like he's a completely different person."

"It's called a persona. A lot of radio hosts adopt one when they're on the air. No biggie," Catarina said. "But I genuinely think he's a nice guy. He cares about others. He remembers people's names-"

"He didn't remember mine."

"Well did you even tell him your name?"

Magnus glared at her. "No. I didn't."

"Then there's your answer. Can't remember a name if you don't know it." She rose from the table while taking out a pack of cigarettes. "I'm going out back for a smoke. Cover for me."

Magnus watched her leave. There was no point in arguing with her or asking if he had a choice, but he didn't mind. At least it was quiet now. 

Or at least it was. 

The bell above the door jingled. Turning, Magnus saw Alec standing in the doorway, a box in his arms, and a look of confusion on his face. "We're open, in case that's what you were wondering."

Alec looked at him. His hair was drenched with rain and his clothes stuck to him. "It wasn't. I was just thinking how the Starbucks CEO would love to hear about how their employees leave the facility unattended."

Anger boiled in his blood. This jerk had no right to talk to him like that. He could diss the corporation all he wanted but he no right to talk about Magnus that way. "I'm sitting right here. I can hear the door when it opens. I haven't abandoned my post, general."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Anyway, this is some merch we had laying around the station. Thought I'd drop it off now and have it over with. Some of it is wet but it's mostly shirts so they'll dry off pretty quick. Do you have a heater in here?"

Magnus pointed to the booth in front of him. "Drape it over the edge of that table. The heater runs along the length of the wall. The hot air will dry it in no time."

Alec did as he was told, draping a couple of hoodies over the table to dry off. Once he was finished he sat down across from Magnus at his booth, shivering. "Can I get a coffee? Doesn't matter what kind. I'm just cold."

Magnus almost felt remorse for Alec; he looked miserable, sitting there with waterlogged clothes and his hair drenched, dripping down on the tabletop in front of him. Frowning, Magnus got up and made a fresh, hot pot of coffee for him. "Here. This will warm you up a little bit."

Alec gave him a small smile. "Thanks. It's really cold outside. Forgot to bring my umbrella with me."

"It's called a taxi? Or your own vehicle?"

"A taxi in this weather?" Alec barked a laugh. "Why do you think I'm soaking wet? Two cabs splashed me. Plus I don't have my own vehicle."

Magnus gaped at him. "Then how do you get around?"

Alec shrugged. "Subway. Sister. Carpool with my producer-why are you laughing?"

Magnus hit the table with a hand as he roared with laughter. "I'm so sorry. I just assumed with all the money you made with the radio and the podcast that you'd have your own ride-"

"I put most of the money I make back into the station."

Magnus hiccuped. "I'm sorry. What?"

Alec stared down at his cup of coffee. "I have employees, Magnus. I pay them. I get equipment from time to time. Plus I have bills to pay of my own let alone the station's bills."

A car raced by and honked their horn, making both men jump. 

"I didn't know....I just thought you were rich by now," Magnus said in a soft voice. 

"You thought I was rich?" Alec snorted. "I'm not rich. Far from it, actually. My parents might have money but I don't want anything to do with it. I want to make a name for myself. Not follow in the footsteps of others before me."

Magnus fell quiet. Everything he had thought of Alec earlier was suddenly forgotten. If he had known that Alec had made a life of his own and didn't let money get in the way of things that really mattered, Magnus wouldn't have made such false accusations made against him. 

"You thought I was a dick, didn't you?" Alec smirked. 

"I didn't say a word-"

"You don't have to. I could see it in your expression whenever you looked at me." Alec took a sip of coffee. He sighed at the heat as it went down his throat. "You're not the first person I've come across that make assumptions about me, Magnus. So don't think you're special just because you thought you were right about me."

Magnus scoffed. "Well then. I thought we were sharing a tender moment here but you just completely ruined that." He got to his feet and went to stand behind the counter. "You know what? Screw you. I'd much rather be talking to the guy on the radio who talks about important issues and tells captivating stories. The guy who paints pictures with his voice alone. That's the guy I'd rather have sitting here right now. Not....you."

Alec  stared at him coldly. "It's not an act. How I am over the radio, I mean. I report the weather. I report the news. It's my job."

"It's called a weather man. Or channel seven news. It's not a job. It's pretending to be something you're not," Magnus retorted back.  

After a brief moment of silence, Alec finished drinking the rest of his coffee without a single word. When he was finished, he put a bill on the table and got to his feet. 

"For the coffee. Thank you for choosing to sponsor the radio show and podcast. Goodnight, Mr. Bane."

Magnus watched him leave without saying anything. He couldn't. His blood ran hotter than the fresh pot of coffee on the boil beside him. If Catarina hadn't walked in when she did, he would've punched the wall. 

"Oh, cool. In The AM merch. Was Alec just in here?" She asked. 

"He just left. Some hoodies got wet from the rain so he hung them over the table to dry," Magnus grumbled. "That was a long cigarette break. What did you do, light a match by rubbing two sticks together?"

"Ha ha. Funny. I actually smoked two cigarettes. Haven't smoked any in two weeks. I figured I deserved a treat." She pulled out one of the dry hoodies and held it against her chest. "What do you think? Should I buy it?"

Magnus looked down at Alec's stupid, idiotic face on the hoodie above the logo. "If you want to waste your money, sure. Do what you want. I'm finishing my shift and I'm going home."

Catarina smirked. "Listening to more Alec In The AM?"

"Maybe. What's it to you?"

"Nothing. You'll like the Halloween episode. Stay up and listen to a few but don't go to bed until you listen to that one. You won't regret it."

\----------

"We have a special treat for you listeners today. Since it's Halloween, I have a special story that I want to tell you guys. It's one my father told me and my sister when we were kids, so grab a snack, maybe a flashlight and dim the lights. Let's get into that Halloween mood."

Magnus slid under the covers that night with the lights dimmed, as per the instructions on the Halloween episode of Alec's podcast, and put his phone on speaker so he didn't have to lie down in bed with uncomfortable earbuds on. As he closed his eyes, he let Alec's low voice enter his imagination.

"I was 10 years old," Alec began. "My sister and I were just going to bed when our dad came into our bedroom. We shared a bunk bed at the time, with her on the bottom and myself on top. We had just climbed under the sheets when our dad asked us if we wanted to hear a scary story. I'll openly admit that I was never fond of scary stories but my sister....my sister was always the brave one. She had no fear. She tackled everything with a brave face and didn't care about the consequences. But I'm getting away from the story here...."

Magnus listened as Alec told his story, jumping at the right parts and occasionally waking up when he got goosebumps and the odd feeling that he was being watched. But that was all part of Alec's radio charm. He was good at telling stories. He was able to create a clear image of what was happening and it felt so real and vivid but Magnus couldn't help but be captivated by every word. 

"And that was how we ended up huddled together on the bottom bunk that night. The first time I ever saw my sister genuinely frightened and actually heard her ask our dad to check under the bed and in the closet for monsters. Usually that was my job but not that night. Not that night."

Magnus grinned. "Pansy. Cute, but still a pansy."

"So that's my story for tonight. As always, I'm your host Alec Lightwood and I wish everyone a very safe and happy Halloween. Goodnight, New York. Goodnight."

The episode ended with evil laughter and a clap of thunder, causing Magnus to jump in fright and switch on the lamp beside him. 

"Jesus," he breathed. "Who's a pansy now, Magnus? Get it together."

He closed his eyes for a few minutes while waiting for his heartbeat to slow down before laying down again. He could still hear Alec's deep voice speaking in his ears and wondered what it would be like to have that beautiful, low voice whispering in his ear and laughing. Alec probably had a beautiful laugh-

"Okay. I'm going to bed!" Magnus yelled at the ceiling. "I can't be thinking about stuff like this. Especially when the guy is a complete asshole. Goodnight!"

Magnus turned off the lamp and turned inward to face the wall. Feeling a wave of nervousness wash over him, he sighed deeply and quickly checked under the bed for safety precautions. 

"Asshole," Magnus muttered. "He had me checking for goddamn monsters under the bed."

\----------

"That was Rock Solid Panda, a local Brooklyn band. You can check out their website at www.rocksolidpanda.org to support their music and get some cool merch. Thanks for coming in today, guys. That concludes today's show. As always, I'm your host Alec and I hope everyone has a great day today and I'll catch you in the AM."

Out in the hall, Maia was shaking hands with the band members, which included their intern Simon Lewis, who was also her boyfriend. She was the one who booked them for the live show and was ecstatic from the moment they stepped into the sound booth and began to sing their debut single "Forever Young". 

"Alec! Amazing show today!" Maia cried as soon he stepped out of the booth. "I'm so glad Simon agreed to do this. Aren't you glad you listened to me, babe?"

"Was I given much of a choice?" Simon snickered as Maia slapped his chest. "No, I'm glad I did. It's great promotion for the band and I'm surprised I hadn't thought of this myself sooner. Thanks for doing this, Alec."

Alec shook his hand. "No problem. My sister is a huge fan. She'll be all over this episode once she hears you and the band."

Maia and Simon disappeared into the break room for some alone time, so Alec slipped into his office and closed the door. He needed to do some research for tomorrow's episode and organize the segments. 

Magnus kept crossing his mind for whatever reason. It was bugging him that this person, who didn't know the first thing about him, thought he was an asshole. Not only was this bugging him but he felt a need to prove this barista wrong. Show him that everything he said and thought were completely wrong. 

So that's what he did. 

Grabbing his jacket, he stormed out of the office but in order to reach the entrance to the station, he had to pass by the break room. He wondered if he could sneak by without getting caught....

"Hey! Where are you going?" Maia called out as he tiptoed by. 

Dammit, he thought. "Uh, out. I'm headed out."

Maia stepped into the doorway, her shirt askew and her hair a curly mess. "That much is obvious. But where are you headed?"

There was no point in lying to her so Alec told her the truth. "Starbucks. There's a guy that works there-"

"Say no more, big guy. Go get him tiger," Maia winked. 

"Alec's asking out the guy from Starbucks?!" Simon called out. When he appeared around the corner, his shirt was off and his glasses were crooked on his nose. "Hey, dude! Taking the bull by the horns! I like it!"

"I'm not asking him out! He pisses me off and I'm going to set him straight!" Alec yelled. 

"Oh, honey. There's nothing straight about that barista," Maia smirked. "I want details when your ass gets back here. Don't leave anything out."

"I'm not coming back. I quit. Ha."

"Fuck you, Lightwood. Now go get some of that fine Starbucks ass."

Alec rolled his eyes as he turned his back on them. He heard their snickers as he walked away which only infuriated him more. He wasn't asking Magnus out. He wasn't. There was nothing going on between them and there was never anything going to happen. They were polar opposites. 

Twenty minutes later, he stepped inside the busy Starbucks. It was crowded today; so unlike the silence of last night. He got in line, even though he wasn't ordering anything. Once it was his turn, the girl with the blue hair looked up at him and her eyes widened. 

"Alec," she breathed. "Hi. Wow. It's so nice-wow. I'm so star struck right now," she giggled. "What can I get you today?"

"Hi," he looked at her name tag, "Catarina. Is Magnus working today?"

"Magnus? No. He's off. He doesn't have a shift until tomorrow. Why do you ask?"

Why did he ask? Alec wasn't even sure himself. "I need to talk to him. About the sponsor thing. There were a few details I forgot to tell him about last night."

Catarina nodded. "Okay. I know I'm not supposed to give out employee's personal details but I'll make an exception for you."

She began to write something down on a napkin, making the customers behind Alec grumble in impatience. He said nothing back to them. 

"This is his address. His cell number is below that," she said as she handed him the napkin. "I just want to say that I'm a huge fan of yours. I actually bought a hoodie last night-"

"That's lovely, Catarina. But I'm in a real hurry right now. We'll talk more the next time I come in, okay?" He gave her a quick smile. "Thank you so much. Have a great day."

Catarina squeaked. "It's just like the podcast! Did you hear that? He told me to have a great day!"

Alec didn't hear much of anything else she said as he rushed out of the coffee shop, Magnus' address clutched tightly in his hand. 

He reached the apartment about fifteen minutes later, his cab driver thankfully knowing a shortcut or two, and raced up thirteen flights of stairs. Apartment 13B. That's where Magnus lived. Breathing heavily, Alec knocked on the door and waited. 

The door opened a minute later. Magnus stood in a pair of loose sweats and a white t-shirt, surprise written all over his face. 

"Uh," he said. "Hi?"

"Hi," Alec gulped as he gasped for air. "We need to talk."

"Talk or die of a heart attack on my doorstep? Why are you so out of breath?"

Alec wheezed, pointing to the elevator at the end of the hall. "Elevator is out of order. Ran up thirteen flights of stairs. I'm-I'm winded. Can I come in and sit down?"

Magnus shrugged. "Sure. Got nothing else better to do with my day. I was just about to make lunch. You want some?"

Alec collapsed on the couch and sighed heavily. "What are you making?"

"Chicken alfredo."

"Oh. I love alfredo. Sure. I'll have some."

Nodding, Magnus set down an extra plate at his small table. "Water to drink?"

"Please."

Magnus poured up their drinks and then went over to sit beside Alec on the couch. "So....what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? And how the hell did you get my address?"

Alec chuckled. "Catarina. She gave it to me. It's amazing what people are willing to do for you when you're famous."

"Ugh," Magnus scowled. "I figured Catarina had something to do with this. Did she give you my number too?"

"She did, actually."

Magnus scowled again. "Okay. Fine. Now answer my first question. What are you doing here?"

Alec took his glass of water and gulped down the contents in three swallows. "I'm here because we need to talk about us."

".....us?"

"Yes. I think it's time we got to know each other, Magnus. Settle our differences."

"And how exactly do you expect us to do that?"

Alec shrugged. "Hang out, maybe?"

Magnus smirked. "So like a date?"

"What? No!" Alec's eyes widened. "I meant like just hang out. Talk. Learn more about each other." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "The idea of you hating me really irks me. I want to prove to you that I'm not a bad person."

There was a pause before Magnus sighed heavily through his nose. "I don't hate you, Alexander. I just have....opinions of you. But I don't hate you. Not at all."

Alec looked up from the floor to see that Magnus had a soft expression on his face. He wasn't angry or upset. He seemed neutral, if anything. "So...you'll let me prove to you that I'm an okay guy?"

Magnus shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh. Why not. I want to see the real you. The you that isn't on the radio and the you that isn't with fans. I want to see Alec Lightwood. The one that huddled up with his sister on the bottom bunk when he was ten years old during one Halloween when your dad told you guys a scary story."

Alec's eyes widened. "You listen to my show?"

"Sometimes," Magnus scoffed. "My boss-Catarina-she told me to listen to your show and that I wouldn't regret it."

"And do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Regret it," Alec said. "Do you regret it?"

The timer on the kitchen counter chimed, signalling that the alfredo was finished. "The only thing I regret is letting you into my apartment and offering you dinner that's meant to last me a few days. But hey. Can't change the past."

"I guess not. But you can learn from it." Alec inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of dinner as Magnus took it out of the oven. "Maybe next time you won't answer the door or let me in. Or maybe you won't offer me dinner next time."

Magnus laughed. "That's a lot of maybe's. You plan on coming around here often?"

Alec blushed as Magnus smirked over at him from the oven. "No. I have much better things to do than come here and eat your food."

Magnus continued to smirk at him. "Pity. Because my food is fucking awesome."

They ate dinner in silence mostly because neither of them knew what to say to each other. Alec was at a loss for words as he ate, savouring every mouthful as the flavor hit him with every bite. It was the best chicken alfredo he ever tasted. 

"This," Alec said through a mouthful of food, "is incredible. When did you learn to cook like this?"

"Books mostly. Masterchef. Tons of cooking shows. I love to experiment with new recipes," Magnus shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"It is when your food tastes as amazing as this. With this kind of talent you can open your own restaurant. Forget Starbucks. You don't need them."

Magnus wiped his mouth and chuckled. "I kind of do. It pays my bills. Helps me afford the things I want....sometimes. But I do need it and it's the only job that gives me medical coverages and other benefits."

"And working at a restaurant doesn't?"

"How's the food?" Magnus asked. He purposely avoided the question for reasons that were unknown to Alec. He didn't press Magnus or ask him why. 

"It's amazing. Best I've ever had, actually. I'll be over everyday," he laughed as Magnus rolled his eyes. "I'm just kidding. You'll just get sick of me. If you're not sick of me already, that is."

"Wow. It's like you've read my mind," Magnus chuckled. "But let's rewind back to the whole get to know each other thing. I'm willing to do it but on one condition."

Alec leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. "Okay. I'm listening."

"I want to be on the radio too. I want to co-host Alec In The Am."

Alec was stoic for a moment but he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. "You can't be serious! You want to be on my show?!"

"I don't see what's so funny about that but yeah. I want to be on your show. Is that going to be a problem?"

"No but-"

"It's a great opportunity to get to know each other. We'll see each other every day once I work out a schedule with Catarina. There's no doubt she'll agree to this. She's a diehard fan of yours. She can't say no to this."

Alec sighed through his nose, rubbing his temples with his thumbs. "Fine. You can host with me. But I'll have to talk to my producer about it first before any of this is final."

Magnus fist pumped the air. "Yes! Oh, I'm going to enjoy this very much, Alexander. Prove to me you're not a complete asshole. Do it and maybe we'll even become very good friends."

Alec cringed and with a deadpan voice said, "Yay. I'm so excited."

"So am I." Magnus stuck out a hand for Alec to shake. "So it's a deal?"

Hesitantly, Alec took Magnus' hand and shook it. "It's a deal."

\----------

"No. Absolutely not."

"Maia, please. This could be a good thing for the show. Hell, it might even be a good thing for me." Alec followed Maia to the recording booth, his pace almost too fast for Maia's short legs. "I need this. I have to prove to him that I'm not a bad guy-"

"You don't have to prove anything to anybody!" Maia stepped into the booth. "You're not obligated to prove anything. You're you. That's all that matters."

Alec groaned in frustration. Maia clearly didn't understand what was going on. He wasn't entirely sure if he did either. "He thinks I'm a dick, Maia. I want to prove that he's wrong. By doing this, he'll see that I'm a nice person. It'll just be for a couple of shows. It's not like it'll be permanent."

With a huff, Maia geared up the recording equipment. "When is he coming in?"

"Tomorrow morning if everything works out with his boss. He's supposed to text me later when he has her approval."

"Text you, huh?" Maia smirked. "You two swap numbers already?"

"Maia," Alec glared, "it's not like that. It never will be like that. This is purely for professional purposes."

"Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that, big guy," Maia winked as she popped her gum, "and the universe will throw you the biggest curve ball of your life."

Alec said nothing more when she geared up the recording booth for his late night show. Once his laptop was set up and he was seated at his usual spot for the show, Maia left him for the night. She didn't stay around for his second show. She went home to Simon, same as she did every night, where they probably sat together at the dinner table and ate together and then cuddled on the couch together while they watched tv-

Alec shook the thought from his head. He didn't have time for envy or jealousy. He had a show to record. There were much more important things to be focusing his energy on right now. Like this show he was about to record. 

"Good evening, New York and welcome to another episode of Alec Late At Night. Now earlier today you listened to a live show featuring a local Brooklyn band named Rock Solid Panda-"

His phone dinged beside him. When he looked at the text, he saw that it was from Magnus. 

"Everything's all good with Cat. Catch you in the AM."

Alec's mouth opened and closed in surprise. "I'm sorry, listeners. I just got a text. It's not important. So back to Rock Solid Panda...."

The show was over and Alec found himself texting Magnus back. They both agreed to meet up with each other at the Jade Wolf to talk more. Alec wasn't sure about what but he hoped it wasn't about the show or anything snarky, as he discovered that Magnus tended to act like sometimes. 

Magnus was sitting at a table eating when he arrived. When he saw that Alec was there, he waved, ushering him over. 

"It's about time you got here. I went ahead and ordered without you. Hope you don't mind," Magnus smiled through a mouthful of moo shu pork. 

"I'm not hungry," Alec took a seat across from Magnus. "You wanted to talk?"

Magnus nodded. He chewed what he had in his mouth and swallowed before speaking. "Yeah. I do. How was your day?"

Alec raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"How. Was. Your. Day?"

A plate of food was set down in front of Alec. It had all of his favorite food on it; rice, pork, chicken balls, soo guy and wontons. "Um....good. I just finished recording another show before I came here."

"Nice, nice. So you don't have to ask me about my day. I'm just going to tell you." Magnus shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth. "So you already know about Catarina agreeing to let me co-host your show, which she's ecstatic about, by the way. She can't wait to hear our show together tomorrow morning."

Alec groaned. The way Magnus sounded so chipper about the whole co-host thing really got under his skin. There was no logical explanation as to why. It just did. "I've always thought of it as my show. It's going to feel weird having someone else there with me in the studio..."

"You have your producer there, don't you? And the sound guy or whatever he's called? Or she. Can't assume it's male. Or maybe they don't identify as either of those-"

"Magnus. Can we please focus on the main point here? I've hosted the show by myself for three years. There's been guests there sure but never an actual co-host. This is all new to me-"

"This may come as a surprise to you, but this is new to me too," Magnus interrupted. "And quite frankly, I'm nervous as hell. I don't know how you do it everyday without caving into the nerves."

The food in front of Alec was too tempting to ignore. Picking up his chopsticks, he dug into the pork on his plate. "It never did bother me. I think if it as talking to myself. I don't think about the fact that millions of people listen to the show and the podcast."

"Millions?" Magnus laughed nervously. "Oh. That doesn't help at all with the nerves. You made it worse...."

"Just do what I do. Or in this case....pretend you're talking to me. Just like you are right now."

Magnus looked up to see the candlelight twinkling in Alec's hazel eyes. He could see flecks of green and gold that he wasn't able to see before in normal lighting but now he could see it plain as day. Those were truly remarkable eyes. "I guess I can do that. Although I hate talking to you because you're so damn cocky half the time."

"I'm assuming the other half is me being super cute and fluffy, right? Because that sounds like me."

Both men scowled at each other it as difficult; Magnus was fighting so hard not to laugh at Alec as he practically inhaled the ramen that was set down in front of them. "Thought you said you weren't hungry?"

Alec swallowed his mouthful. "It's rude nitro eat food that's been given to you. At least that's what Luke always told me."

"Luke?"

Alec pointed towards the kitchen with his chopsticks. "The guy who owns the place. He gives me free ramen whenever I'm here. His daughter is a fan of the show too. She's dating my little brother."

"Is that like a perk of being on your show or something? Free food?"

Alec chuckled. "No. Just free ramen. You pay for everything else."

They finished eating whatever was on their table, leaving a reasonable tip for their waiter as they paid for their meal and left. It had gotten chilly out since Alec had arrived so he pulled his jacket up closer to his ears. 

"Well then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, coworker?" Magnus grinned. 

"Please don't call me that. This is just temporary. It's not a permanent situation here," Alec shivered. "Be at the studio for 9. Not a minute later."

Magnus nodded. "Alrighty. I'll be there for 9. Goodnight, Alec."

As he turned away and headed towards his car, Magnus paused to look over his shoulder at Alec. The radio host was walking down the docks with his hood up and hands shoved inside his pockets, clearly shivering from the cold. 

With a sigh, Magnus yelled out to him. "Alec! Wait!"

Alec turned around. "What?"

Magnus opened the passenger seat door. "Get in. I'll give you a ride home."

"Oh," Alec sputtered. "I don't want to bother you-"

"You're not. I offered. You'll freeze to death out here tonight so get in."

Alec jogged back towards the car and climbed in. Magnus could see a sigh of relief once the hot air blew on their skin. "Ah. That's nice. Thanks for the ride. This is nice of you."

"Don't worry about it," Magnus shrugged. "At least this is an opportunity to see whether or not you'd be thankful and not an asshole out of it."

"Oh. Good to know. And what did you see?"

Magnus clicked on his seatbelt. "You're a sorry sucker who needs a car. That's what I see."

Alec laughs at this, his eyes crinkling around the edges as he did so. "That's one thing we can both agree on."

"It's a start though."

"Yeah. It's definitely a start."

\----------

"You think he's going to show up?" Maia had asked the next morning. "I mean, he seemed pretty adamant about being a co-host. Or so you say."

"Oh, he'll be here. He wouldn't miss out on an opportunity to humiliate me," Alec grumbled. "I'd be surprised if he didn't show up-"

"Who said I wasn't going to show up?" A voice said. 

Alec looked up. Magnus was standing in the doorway of the recording booth wearing a broad smile on his face. "Oh. You decided to show up. And on time too. Maia and I had a bet going."

"Yeah? Who lost?" Magnus smirked as Alec handed money to Maia. "You lost, huh? You didn't think I was going to show up."

"Not really. Now come on. We have to get ready for this morning's show." Alec handed Magnus a pair of headphones. "Put these on. We're live in five."

Magnus took the headphones and put them on. "Is there like a cue or something so I'll know when we're live?"

Alec pointed above the door where an "On Air" sign was. "That will light up once we're live. It's pretty simple, really."

"Two minutes til the show," Maia said. "You guys should head in and get ready."

Alec went into the studio booth and took a seat beside his laptop. Magnus sat across from him. "Okay. So when that sign lights up, I give my usual introduction. You know how it goes, right?"

"I do. I listened to all your shows last night. I'm all caught up."

Alec blinked. "Oh. Well that's....dedication. So I'll give my introduction and then I'll introduce you, okay?"

Magnus nodded. He seemed a bit nervous from what Alec could tell. "Okay. I'm ready. Let's do this."

Nodding, Maia gave Alec the signal that they were live, also lighting up the On Air sign on the wall. Alec began to speak. 

"Good morning New York. I'm your host Alec and we have a very special show for you today." He looked up at Magnus, who was a nervous wreck in front of him. "Today I have guest here in the studio with me. He'll be with me for a little bit so be nice to him on social media. He's an employee at a Starbucks here in the city, please give a warm welcome to Magnus Bane. How are you today, Magnus?"

"I'm....well. All things considered. If you had asked me how I was feeling I'd tell you that I'm extremely nervous," Magnus sputtered. "Can the people hear me on this thing?"

Alec smirked. "Yes Magnus, they can indeed hear you. Listeners, if you're wondering why I have a guest here today it's because he and I have brokered a sort of deal. I won't get into specifics of the deal but Magnus here will be co-hosting the show with me for the next little while, so feel free to tweet him or send a friendly Facebook message and give him a warm welcome."

From the recording booth, Maia have him the thumbs up, indicating he was doing really well. 

"And now for the weather. If you're planning on taking long walks today, I suggest you bundle up in warm layers. It's not winter but it's not exactly a warm spring either, so wear a hat and mitts if you plan on being outside for long periods of time today. Don't want to catch a cold."

Magnus grinned at this, saying nothing as he listened to Alec's captivating voice. 

"So that was the weather-oh. My producer is holding up a sign in the studio booth and is telling me that we have some callers this morning. So let's answer some calls. Caller number one, how are you today?"

Magnus watched Alec click a button on the soundboard in front of him that read "Line One."

"Oh my gosh. I'm on the show! Hi Alec! My name is Vanessa and I'm from Hell's Kitchen."

"Good morning, Vanessa," Alec beamed. "What's your question?"

"I actually have a question for your new co-host if that's okay."

Alec glanced up at Magnus. He'd gone purple in the face. "Of course. He's listening so ask away."

"Great! So my question is pretty simple. What made you want to co-host the show? Were you influenced by anything in particular?"

Magnus inhaled deeply. "No. I wasn't influenced. In fact, it's like what Alec said earlier. We brokered a deal. I'm not going to say what that deal was either but that's why I'm here. Because of the deal."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks for answering my question and I wish you the best of luck here on Alec In The AM."

Alec took over for Magnus. "Thanks for calling, Vanessa. Have a fantastic day." He clicked Line One to hang up. "One more caller before we discuss the news. Good morning and how are you today?"

A deep man's voice answered. "Hey. I'm good. How are you guys?"

"We're doing well, thank you-" Alec watched Magnus shake his head vigorously. "Well, I'm well anyway. Magnus here looks like he's ready to combust."

The man on the line laughed. "I'd be nervous too if it was my first time on the radio. Which it is, coincidentally. But yeah I have a question for either of you who want to answer. It's kind of personal to me."

Alec nodded. "Okay. We're listening. But if you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to ask-"

"No, it's fine. I just don't want to reveal my name. Call me Anon for now. So anyway, I like this guy-"

Alec's heart sank. It was a relationship question. He hated these more than he hated the fact that Magnus was here hosting the show with him. He was always unable to answer these mainly because he'd never been in a relationship before, so whenever someone asked a question like this her always lie and answer based on experiences he heard his sister Isabelle talk about. 

"-and he obviously likes me but I can't ask him out because my family don't know that I'm gay. It kills me inside because I like him so much and I want nothing more than to be with him but I can't. So what should I do?"

Alec opened is mouth to speak but it was Magnus who jumped in to answer. 

"Anon. Listen. I've been in your shoes at one point in my life, buddy, and let me tell you. It's not easy. It's scary not knowing whether or not people will accept you for who you are and how you feel but at the end of the day you got to do what's best for you. No one else. Their opinions don't matter but your own. If this guy is the man of your dreams, then you go for it. Take him out to a movie. Hold his hand. Sneak in a kiss when he's not looking but don't give a single damn about what anyone else thinks of you. I know this may sound a little cheesy, but follow your heart, my man. Go with your heart. Always. Don't hesitate. Hesitation only means missed opportunities."

It went oddly quiet in the studio when Magnus finished speaking. Alec wasn't even sure if the anon who called in was still on the line. If he was, he was just as awed as everyone else who listened to Magnus' short monologue. 

"Uh," Alec finally said. "Anon? You still there?"

"Yeah. I'm still here. Wow, dude. That was really deep. You must've been saving that one for a rainy day," Anon laughed. "Did everything turn out okay afterwards? Did you ask out the person of your dreams?"

Magnus chuckled. "They weren't the person of my dreams but I did ask them out eventually. You will too one day."

"Thanks, Magnus. Hey you never know. The person of your dreams is probably sitting next to you right now and you don't even know it."

Magnus and Alec glanced at each other before quickly looking away. "Thank you for calling in, Anon. Best of luck to you in the future."

A sigh of relief escaped Magnus when Alec finally hung up and began to talk about the recent news. He spoke every now and then but he mainly just listened to Alec work his vocal magic. 

Here's the thing: Magnus forgot he was sitting in the studio with Alec. He truly did. For a long time he thought he was home with his earbuds in, listening to another episode of the podcast. But when he woke up from his daydream, he saw that he was in the studio for real, listening to everything live as it happened before him. It felt like a dream; Alec's voice lured him in with such ease that it was almost downright frightened at how easy it was to get drawn in. 

"And that's our show for today. As always I'm your host Alec and I'll catch you in the AM. Say bye, Magnus!"

"Bye Magnus," Magnus said, cringing immediately.

Alec laughed. "Have a great day, New York."

The On Air sign dimmed and Maia rushed into the room with a broad smile on her face. "Guys. We had calls literally flooding in after Magnus' Shakespearean monologue. Everyone wanted a piece of the Bane."

"Ugh. I did terrible. Did you hear wha I said just then? 'Bye Magnus' I mean who says bye to themselves?" Magnus wandered off the hall, muttering to himself. 

Maia snickered as she watched him. "He's cute. Tall, too. Almost as tall as you, big guy. So what did you think of him?"

Alec crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. "He did okay for his first time. A little too nervous though-"

"Okay like you weren't a bag of nerves when you first started."

"Well I was but he's different. When that Anon called in it was like a switch went off in his head. He connected to the caller. He was more connected in ways I can never even begin to achieve. Magnus is real with the people. I'm not like that."

"Oh, Alec." Maia hugged his waist tightly. "You're real. Magnus just went through a similar experience as the caller did. That's all. That doesn't make you any less real than he is." She kissed his chest and rubbed his shoulder. "Now come on. Let's microwave some burritos and eat lunch together like old times."

Alec smiled. "Okay. Think Magnus likes burritos?"

"Dude. Who doesn't like burritos?"

\----------

Maia ended up telling old embarrassing stories during their lunch break that day. The entire radio crew were sitting in the lunch room, whether in chairs or on the kitchen counter or in the huge beanbags they had on the floor, Magnus couldn't help but notice how comfortable they all were with each other. They laughed both at and with each other. They shared their food and drinks to each other. It was like looking at a family. 

"Magnus, I know you're only going to be here for a short time but I just want to say that we here at the studio already think you're one of us and you're more than welcome to visit us any time when you finish up," Maia said as she lift her can of Diet Coke. "To Magnus, the brilliant Shakespearean relationship expert!"

The crew all cheered and laughed as Simon accidentally spilled his own drink over the front of his shirt. He didn't look too pleased at first but his face slowly broke out in a smile as he too began to laugh along with his coworkers.

"How did you find your first show?" Alec whispered to him when the laughter continued. "You looked nervous as hell in there. I thought you were going to die of a hernia."

"It certainly felt that way," Magnus snorted. "But overall I think it went really well. At least I know what to expect for next time now."

Alec nodded and took a swig of his Coke. "Good. That's good. You survived your first day. That's a reason to celebrate."

Alec didn't sound too impressed. In fact, he sounded a little upset. "So you wanted me to die on my first day? Because that's what your tone is implying."

"What? That's not-that's not what I meant." Alec groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. "That's not what I meant, Magnus. You did incredible today. Even my producer seems to think so-hell, everyone here knows you did amazing. The way you answered that anon today blew their freaking minds."

"So....what seems to be the problem?"

Alec rubbed the back of his neck; a nervous tick that Magnus was starting to notice. "I....I guess I'm scared that people will start favouring you over me. I'll lose my job and people will forget that I ever hosted this show in the first place."

Magnus began to laugh. "You think I'm gunning for your job?"

"Not intentionally."

"Alec. I don't want your job. Trust me. I wouldn't be able to do this everyday for the rest of my life. It's just not who I am. So you can forget about me ever replacing you because it'll never happen. The people love you. Don't ever forget that."

The radio crew were now taking turns tossing candy wrappers into an empty Coke can like a game of free throws. They laughed when someone missed and purposely tried to mess up each other's tosses. 

"What you said to that anon today. Was that all true?" Alec asked. 

"Every word. I liked her. She liked me. Then she broke my heart." Magnus frowned at some memory that passed through his mind. "But life goes on and either people change or they don't."

"Have you changed?"

"Oh did I ever," Magnus laughed. "I grew up. Discovered more about myself. Got a job at a coffee shop. Life is weird like that."

Maia gathered the crew around that afternoon to discuss the different kinds of segments they could do for future shows. 

"We could always do another Ask Alec session, with Magnus included of course," she said, "or we could do one where they read funny tweets."

"I think it's obvious what kind of segment they should do," Simon spoke up. "Come on, guys. You saw and heard how brilliant Magnus is with relationship advice. Why not do a segment on that?"

The room went into a tizzy as everyone except Alec and Magnus agreed with Simon on that idea. 

"Alec? Magnus? What do you think about that idea?" Maia turned to them and asked. 

Alec looked at Magnus. "I'm okay with it if you are."

"You're the host so it's up to you whether or not you want to do it," Magnus said back. "I know I give good relationship advice. But I'm more worried about you and the kind of advice you give other people."

Alec scowled. "Ha ha. Funny. I give great advice-"

"You told me to make peanut butter cookies for Maia as a birthday surprise," Simon exclaimed. 

Maia followed with a "And I'm allergic to peanut butter."

"Okay! Give Magnus the segment. Jesus. Nice to know I'm useless when it comes to that kind of stuff."

Magnus was about to disagree when Alec got up from his seat and left the break room, slamming the door behind him. 

"I should go talk to him," Maia said. "This is a touchy subject for him."

"What's a touchy subject for him?" Magnus got to his feet and followed Maia down a hallway to a door with Alec's name on it. It was was closed. Probably his office. 

"He...I don't want to divulge any of his secrets without his consent. People talking about their relationships make him uncomfortable. They always have. In the three years that I've known him he hated when people talked about their girlfriend or their boyfriend. It's just the way he is."

When she raised a hand to knock on the door, Magnus stopped her. "I'll talk to him. Maybe I can get through to him better than what you can."

Maia raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Alright. Don't push him too hard. I need my host in full working condition for tonight."

She walked away and left Magnus to his own devices. With a deep sigh, he knocked on the door. "Alec? Can I come in?"

A moment of silence. "The door's open."

Magnus stepped inside the office. It was fairly small, with just a desk in one corner with a bookshelf beside it and a couch across from the desk. Alec was seated at his desk, feet propped on the top of it. 

"Cozy little office you have here. Is this where you record your nightly shows?" Magnus asked. The couch he sat on was soft and very comfortable. 

"No," Alec shook his head. "I either record it in the booth or at home. Mostly I do it here then upload it at home if I'm not in a hurry to get things done."

Magnus shuddered. "It must be so weird, listening to yourself. I hate the sound of my voice when I listen to it on a recording."

Alec smiled softly. "I got used to it after a while. When I first started listening to the recordings I felt so embarrassed by my voice. It wasn't until people started complimenting it that I eventually got used to the sound of it."

Magnus twirled a pencil around between a his fingers. "They're not wrong. You have an amazing voice. It puts me to sleep at night."

Alec raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying I'm boring?"

"No. I'm saying that you have a beautiful voice. It's gentle and relaxing to listen to."

There was a flicker in Alec's eyes that Magnus hadn't seen before. If he wasn't paying attention, he would've missed the small smile that Alec flashed him before picking up his phone and dialling a number. 

"Maia? Yeah. I'm staying in tonight as usual. Don't wait up for me," Alec hung up the phone and looked up at Magnus. "You didn't want to do a show with me tonight, did you?"

"A-a show? Alec Late At Night?" Magnus stuttered. "Sure. Yeah. I'd love to. What do I do? What's my segment?"

"No segments." Alec handed him a sheet of paper with notes on it. "That's just a rough idea of what I want to talk about on the show tonight. It's mostly just stories I share with the listeners. It's nothing special."

Magnus looked over the list. "I think it's special. I mean, it's obvious you put a lot of thought into your shows. Plus you seem to care a lot about your listeners."

Finding this funny, Alec laughed. "Of course I care. I'm not a dick, Magnus. I've been trying to tell you this since day one."

Setting the list down on the couch beside him, Magnus got to his feet and stood in front of Alec who was now seated on the edge of his desk with his arms folded over his chest. "Look. I don't think you're a dick. If anything, I think you're a pretty amazing person who's passionate about what they do. Not a lot of people can say that about their job."

Alec straightened up on his desk. "No. They can't. I love my job and every aspect about it." He inhaled sharply as Magnus took a step closer, and he suddenly found himself so close to Magnus that he could smell mint and cigarette smoke from the other man's clothes. "What are you doing?" He croaked. 

Magnus shook his head. "Nothing. Now come on. We have a show to record, don't we?"

"Yeah. Later tonight. It's not even mid afternoon yet."

Magnus checked his watch. "Huh. Time flies when you're having fun. Want to go grab a bite to eat? I'm starving."

Alec's stomach growled in hunger. "Sure. I'd like that."

\----------

Two weeks later, Alec and Magnus found themselves getting ready for another late night show, which also happened to be Magnus' last one. He had to go back to work at Starbucks; Catarina had called and said she needed extra hands on deck due to layoffs and wanted Magnus to take extra shifts, therefore shortening his radio time. 

"Maia's sad that you're leaving us," Alec said that might as he booted up his laptop. 

"She makes it sound like I'm dying. Which I'm not," Magnus laughed. He had really loosened up the last two weeks and they had become much closer friends because of it. "She'll get over it. It'll be like I wasn't even here to begin with once I'm gone."

Alec snorted. "Try telling her that. She's been devastated all week. She didn't even eat her burrito today. Her burrito. That speaks volumes."

They both laughed and rolled their eyes. Sitting on the edge of his desk, which Alec seemed to do a lot, he crossed his strong arms over his chest and sighed. Magnus couldn't help but notice everything about him lately. The way his hair was messy or they way his shirts always accentuated his muscular arms or even as something as small as the way his eyes crinkled whenever he smiled broadly. Everything about Alec had been magnified by a hundred when Magnus was around him. 

"I can't believe I'm about to say this but I'll miss you when you're gone too. Burritos will never taste the same," said Alec. 

"Oh shut up. Burritos will always taste like burritos. I'll pop by every now and then to check up on you guys. God forbid this show start to flop once I leave," Magnus winked. He laughed when Alec's face turned red. "Are you blushing? Is that blush I see on your cheeks?"

"No. I don't blush-hey! Don't!" Alec jerked back when Magnus tried to poke his cheek. Somehow he ended up entwining his fingers with Magnus', unsure of how they ended up like that. 

"Alec...might I ask what it is you're doing?" Magnus whispered. 

"I-" Alec gulped. "I don't know. I don't...I'm not-"

"Shhh," Magnus placed a finger on Alec's lips. "You don't have to explain yourself."

Magnus reached up and cupped Alec's face with his hands, gently caressing the radio host's cheeks with his thumbs. Then, looking into Alec's eyes and asking with silent permission, he leaned in and kissed him. 

It happened exactly like he thought it would. He'd spent countless hours at night imagining what it would be like to kiss the famous Alec Lightwood, and here he was actually doing it. Lips warm and soft to the touch, it was everything he hoped it'd be and more. 

Alec hummed low in his throat, leaning back on his hands and Magnus eagerly pushed him back onto the desk. One of his hands accidentally hit the buttons of his laptop and he moved it off to the side so that there was more room on the desk for them to makeout. 

"Isn't this a little bit unprofessional?" Magnus asked between kisses. Alec's hands were on his waist now, strong and steady. He screamed internally with delight. 

"We're the only ones here, Magnus. Plus I kind of own the building," Alec breathed. His lips were already red and swollen from kissing. "Besides. It's not like you can get in trouble with me."

Magnus chuckled, leaning in to kiss him again. "We can get in trouble. Just in a different way."

They spent the night kissing on the desk and on the floor and eventually ended up on the couch where they slept the rest of the night, Alec's arm draped over Magnus' middle and his chin resting on his shoulder. 

\----------

A loud bang on the door woke them both up the next morning, followed by incoherent yelling. It sounded like Maia but Alec wasn't entirely sure. 

He threw on his shirt and jeans, answering his office door. "Maia? What time is it?"

Maia's face was red when she glared up at him. "What the fuck was that last night?!"

Alec squinted in confusion. "I'm...not entirely sure what you mean. If you're talking about the fact I didn't do a show last night, I have a logical explanation-"

"OH MY GOD ALEC!" Maia barged into his office, freezing at the sight of Magnus sitting up on the couch in nothing but his boxers. "Fuck. Fuckity fucknards. You fucked up big time, Lightwood. How could you let this happen?!"

"Let what happen, Maia? What the hell are you talking about?" Alec growled. His patience was wearing thin and it was too early to be yelling at his coworkers. 

"You said you didn't do a show last night? Think again." Maia opened his laptop and opened up their podcast website. "Listen to this. Maybe you'll think twice next time about having a guest in your office."

Sounds began to play from the laptop. Alec wasn't sure what he was listening to until a voice spoke and then moaned. 

His voice. 

To his absolute horror, he was listening to him and Magnus making out from last night. He must've accidentally hit record during their makeout session and then uploaded it at some point during the night. The sounds they both made....Alec's heart sank to the floor at the thought of the millions of people who listened to that. His parents probably listened to that. 

Maia was furious at this point. "You see what I'm getting at here? You two made out here in this office and made an almost sex tape-"

"Technically it's a podcast," said Magnus. "Sex tapes are a completely different thing altogether."

Maia glared at him savagely. "You think this is funny, Magnus? Because I don't see anyone laughing here. Alec's career could be ruined, if it hasn't been ruined already. Plus nobody knows-" She cut herself off, glancing at Alec and shaking her head. 

"Nobody knows what?" Magnus asked. "What don't people know?"

Alec took a deep breath, finally understanding the consequences of his actions. "Nobody knows I'm gay, Magnus."

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Nobody? Not even your family?"

"My siblings do and everyone here does. But my parents don't. My fans don't. I never publicly came out because I thought I'd disappoint people." Alec sat on the couch and gripped his hair. "Shit. I screwed up big time, Maia. How many downloads does it have already?"

"Last I checked it had 50,000. Could be double that by now. Possibly triple. But you know what to do now, big guy." Maia pat him on the shoulder and left the office, shutting the door behind her. 

"That sounded ominous. What do you have to do now?" Magnus watched as Alec went over to his laptop and began to type. "What are you doing?"

"I'm writing an apology statement. Last night was a mistake-"

"To me it wasn't," Magnus frowned. "And why the fuck do you have to apologize to others for being yourself?"

"Because I could lose my job, Magnus. People will see me in a different light and not a positive one either-"

"Okay I think you're being a bit morbid about this. What if you inspired people, Alexander? What if you have someone the strength today to come out to their friends and family? What if this is a good thing?"

"It's not!" Alec yelled, flinging papers off the desk in anger. "There's nothing good that can come from this! The media will have a field day over this if they aren't already! Don't you understand? I'm not you! I'm not open about my sexuality! I have a reputation to maintain!"

Magnus fell silent before picking his clothes up off the floor and putting them on. "Good to know that your reputation means more to you than I do."

He left, slamming the office door behind him. Alec groaned in frustration and followed him out but by the time he reached the front desk, Magnus was already out the door and out of the building. 

Simon's eyes went back and forth from the door to Alec. "Morning, Alec. Good show last night."

"Shut the fuck up, Simon. Not another word," Alec growled before charging into the recording booth and manually controlling the equipment from his booth. He had locked the recording booth's door so Maia couldn't get in, but he saw her glaring at him from the studio booth, mouthing obscenities at him. 

"Good morning listeners. I'm your host Alec and I'm afraid I have something to tell you all. As most of you already know, a new episode of Late At Night was uploaded last night that wasn't supposed to be uploaded. That's my fault. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and got myself landed in this mess. I'm sure you all have questions. I will explain myself right now."

Alec ignored Maia banging on the glass and continued to speak, trying not to focus on Magnus' voice echoing inside his head. 

"I've been hiding for a long time. I hide behind this microphone everyday. I hide behind a fake smile when I'm asked if there's any nice girls that I have my eye on. I've been hiding my entire life. But I'm done with it. I'm done with hiding who I really am. It's time I put everything out in the open. I had my first kiss last night. This kiss was with an incredible man whom I've come to be friends with when I thought he annoyed the hell out of me. I kissed him and I loved every second of it. He made me open up on ways I never thought I would and I'm glad I got to know him. I hope I get to know him even more one day. So what I'm trying to say is.....I'm gay."

Maia had ceased her banging on the glass and was staring at him in shock, arm still raised from hitting the window. 

"Yes, you heard me right, listeners. I'm gay. I have been since as long as I could remember. I was so scared to tell anyone because I couldn't bear losing the people I cared about or have them look at me differently but I honestly don't care anymore. I want to be free. No more hiding. So to my loving parents who supported me in everything I did, I'm so sorry that I've been lying to you. Mainly I've been lying to myself. I'm the same person I've always been. Now everything is just out in the open."

Alec took a shuddering breath, closing his eyes to steady his voice. 

"Therefore I need to make an announcement. As of today, I will no longer be the host of Alec In The AM. This radio show will no longer be airing in the morning or at night. It's cancelled. So I thank everyone who's been supporting it for the past three years. We couldn't have made it this far without you. And as usual, I'm your host Alec and I will not be catching you in the AM. Have a great day, New York."

\----------

Magnus was still staring at the radio in awe as he drank his coffee. Catarina couldn't believe what she was hearing either. The coffee she'd been pouring into a cup overflowed into the floor as she stared with her jaw on the floor and the show had ended twenty minutes ago. 

"Did he just....quit?" She breathed. 

"I believe he did," answered Magnus. "And it was all because of me."

Catarina frowned, her blue hair falling in her eyes. "You can't blame yourself for this. It wasn't your fault."

Magnus shrugged. "I know. It just feels like it is, that's all. Knowing that this happened and he felt obligated to apologize and not to mention publicly come out like that? It just feels-"

"I came out to my parents today!" A voice chimed as the door to Starbucks open. A young woman with long black hair came in with a group of other women her age, wearing a huge smile on her face. 

"That's amazing, Aline! What did they say?" asked one of the other girls. 

"I mean, I literally just did it ten minutes ago but I felt so inspired by Alec's show that I had to do it. If he can do it over the radio like that and be brave then so can I. And the best part is...." Aline lowered her voice. "They accepted me. They said they loved me no matter what. I was still their daughter and it didn't matter to them who I fell in love with!"

The girls all squealed and hugged her, congratulating her and tittering amongst themselves. 

"Huh. Would you look at that. It's been twenty minutes and Alec's already changed the world," Catarina shook her head with a broad smile. "Shame he won't hear about this. Being retired and all."

Magnus watched as Aline continued to talk to her friends, leaning in to kiss a blond haired girl sitting next to her. "No. He will hear about this. He needs to know how big of an impact he just made."

"Magnus? Where are you going? You didn't pay for your coffee! I'm taking this off your next pay check!" Catarina yelled after him as he got up and raced out of the coffee shop. 

At the studio, the crew were already packing up their stuff when he ran in, gasping for air. Simon was at the front desk cleaning up when Magnus approached him. His eyes widened in surprise. 

"Magnus. Hi. I'm guessing you heard the announcement just then?" Simon laid his belongings in a box as he spoke. 

"Where's Alec? I need to talk to him," Magnus looked around the room. There was no sign of Alec anywhere. 

"You just missed him. He left about five minutes ago. Didn't say where he was going. Just left without a word. Why? What's wrong?"

Magnus huffed. "Text him and tell him to go to the nearest radio and listen to it."

Simon's gaze followed him as he raced to the recording booth. "Why? What are you doing? Magnus!"

Magnus went into the booth and locked the door, slipping the headphones on over his ears. They were stills little warm from where Alec had them on not long ago. He'd seen Alec do this enough times to know how to work the studio equipment, so he geared up the show again. 

"Hello New York. This is Magnus Bane speaking. I know most of you, if not all of you, heard Alec's announcement earlier. I've come to tell you something I just witnessed. A girl came into Starbucks and she said she had just come out to her family. She felt inspired by Alec's live broadcast this morning so she came out to her parents. They accepted her without even hesitating. Now I know there's people out there who aren't as accepting as most. I get that. But the majority of people are and I think that's great."

He looked up and saw Maia standing in the studio booth along with the rest of the crew. They all watched him in silence, not bothering to try and stop him. Instead, they listened intently. 

"Alec also came out himself earlier. Now whether or not you accept him, that's entirely up to you. But he didn't do it for you. He did it for himself. You heard him. He was tired of hiding. I think most of us are. Faking emotions we don't really feel. Pretending to smile when really we're hurting. We're all hiding in some form or another. I'm tired of hiding too. As an openly bisexual, Asian man, I'm proud of who I am."

Magnus fought the tears that threatened to roll down his cheeks as he spoke, taking a shuddering breath to steady himself. 

"This is a message to Alec Lightwood, host of the beautiful show that just inspired so many people out there today. I'm so proud of what you did today. I'm even more proud of the fact that you fucking did it over the damn radio. That takes a lot of guts, Alexander. Guts that even I don't even have and I admire you for it. With that being said, I need you to come back to the studio and be a host again. The people love you. I love you."

The crew in the booth all widened their eyes in surprise but Magnus ignored them. 

"I love you, Alexander Lightwood. More than I'd like to admit. You're kind and your brave as all hell and you care about others more than you care about yourself. I can't believe I thought you were an asshole," Magnus laughed through the tears that were now running freely down his face. "So get your ass back into this studio. You have a show to host."

Magnus hit the record button to end the broadcast. He was aware of the crew members watching him from the other side of the glass but didn't say anything. It wasn't until a knock on the glass made him look up from the floor. Simon held up a piece of paper to the glass. In big black letters, it read "Alec's in Central Park".

Without even hesitating, Magnus got up from his chair and ran out the front door, running all the way to Central Park. 

\----------

"Alec! Alec!"

Alec looked up. Magnus was running towards him, huffing and puffing from lack of oxygen. "Did you run all the way here?"

Magnus gasped for air. "Yeah. I wanted to see what it was like running a mile in your shoes with no vehicle."

"And?"

"I hate it. Oh god, I hate it!" Magnus collapsed onto the bench, his head resting on Alec's lap. "So I take it you got Simon's text."

Alec nodded. "Yeah. Heard your show too. Some homeless guy let me borrow his radio to listen to it."

"I hope you gave him some change for his troubles. It's not everyday the famous Alec Lightwood asks to borrow your radio," Magnus grinned. "But seriously. You heard the show?"

"I did. Every word of it," said Alec, "I didn't think my impact would be so big."

Magnus sat up on the bench. "Of course it would be! You inspire people everyday! You used to be so shy, remember? You told me that. Now look at you. Not shy anymore, are you?"

"Stop," Alec blushed. He laughed as Magnus nudged him in the ribs with an elbow. "I just...I just thought that I ruined everything. For me and for other people too. I was scared."

Magnus took his hand and squeezed it. "We're all scared, Alec. It's a scary world. But it's people like you that make it a less scary place. Your voice is a guiding light to a lot of people. Not just in New York but probably around the world-"

Alec's phone began to ring. When Alec looked at the screen, he groaned. "It's my mom. Should I answer it? I might not like what she has to say."

"Answer it. I'll be right here beside you the whole time."

With a deep breath, Alec held the phone up to his ear. "Hey mom. What's up?"

Magnus could hear Maryse speaking. "I heard your show this morning. Your father and I listened together."

Alec cringed. "Oh yeah? What did you think of it?"

There was a pause before Maryse spoke again. "Alexander....we're so proud of you."

"Wait....what?" Alec's voice went up an octave. "You're proud of me?"

"Of course we are. Why didn't you come to us about this sooner? Your siblings already knew before we did!"

"I'm sorry....I didn't think you'd support me," Alec whispered. 

"Alec. Your father and I love you and want nothing but the best for you. We're just so glad you found the courage to finally be who you really are. That's all that matters to us."

Alec began to cry at that moment, resting his elbows on his knees while still holding the phone up to his ear. "Thanks, mom. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that from you."

"We love you, son. Don't ever forget that."

Alec hung up and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Ugh. Sorry. You got to see my big ugly man tears."

"They're not ugly," Magnus wiped Alec's eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. "They're what makes you human. Means you feel something."

Alec laughed through a sob. "You always know just what to say. How?"

Magnus leaned in and kissed Alec on the forehead. "Because I've come to know you, Alec. I listened to your voice everyday for the past two weeks. You can't hide anything from me anymore." He held Alec's hand with his own and smiled. "Come on. Let's go back to the studio and tell the crew to unpack because they're not going anywhere. You're not going anywhere."

Alec smiled broadly. "We doing a show tonight?"

Magnus winked. "We're doing a show tonight."

\----------

"Good evening everyone. I'm your host Alec and welcome to Malec Late At Night. Now you're probably wondering what the hell is a Malec, right? Well it's like Brangelina except ten times more fabulous, or so my co-host is telling me by writing on a piece of paper," Alec smirked at Magnus. "Please welcome back the handsome, intelligent, talented Starbucks barista and my new boyfriend, Magnus Bane."

"Hello, night owls. Welcome to Malec Late At Night. We got quite the love story for you tonight, folks. It has action, romance, drama and even a tragedy that turned out to be the best thing that ever happened."

"That's right, Magnus. More on that later but for now, welcome to a new and improved version of your favorite podcast, formerly known as Alec Late At Night-" Alec looked at Magnus and nodded. 

Magnus smiled broadly, taking Alec's hand in his own. "And we're on the air."


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You asked for it. You got it. This story is noe multi chapter. I'm going to do it in the form of a radio show with an occasional regular chapter every now and then. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Alec: Good morning, New York. Welcome to another episode of Alec In The AM. I'm your host, Alec Lightwood and we've got a great show for you today but first off I want to introduce my special guest who all of you seem to love. Ladies and gents and those who don't identify as either, please welcome the one and only.....Magnus Bane

Magnus: Hello everyone!

Alec: Magnus will be cohosting the show with me today because he has the day off at Starbucks. He even brought me a coffee earlier this morning 

Magnus: You forgot to mention the doughnuts too

Alec: Oh and he brought doughnuts too. Variety box. The pink frosting ones are my favorite. Touch them and die

Magnus: Whoa. Okay. Remind me not to touch your doughnuts 

Alec: I just did. Didn't you hear my threat?

Magnus: I did. So did millions of other people. If I die, listeners, you're all my witnesses 

Alec: [laughs]

Magnus: He laughs but he knows he's in deep trouble if my brutal murder goes public

Alec: Alright Magnus. We get it. Now let's get back to business-we got a great show for you guys today. Because it's pre-Christmas, we're going to be talking about all things Kris Kringle

Magnus: What if you're Jewish though? Shouldn't we respect our Jewish listeners too?

Alec: I-I'm not Jewish.... 

Magnus: Neither am I. I'm just saying 

Alec: Right. So we're talking all things Christmas today. The food. The presents. Decorations. What was Christmas like in your house, Magnus?

Magnus: Crowded. The entire family was squeezed into the kitchen and we all ate dinner together. My momma made this amazing mashed potato stuffed turkey and to this day it blows my mind

Alec: Your mom stuffed a turkey with mashed potatoes?

Magnus: Sure. Didn't yours?

Alec: Uh no. We had stuffing inside. You know. Wet dressing?

Magnus: Ew. When you say it like that I get this imagery in my head. Like dressing oozing blood or green slime 

Alec: [wheezes] No that's not-that's not what I meant. There's two kinds of dressing. The kind that's inside the turkey and the kind that's baked in the oven 

Magnus: Don't forget Stove Top dressing

Alec: I hate Stove Top-

Magnus: It's a poor substitute for the real thing isn't it

Alec: It honestly is. I had it once and I was like "Nope. Once and done"

Magnus: [snorts] I should invite you over for Christmas dinner. You can have all the wet dressing your little heart desires

Alec: Listeners you can't tell from over the radio but I'm glaring at Magnus really hard. If I stare hard enough I'm praying laser beams will shoot out and burn a hole into his skull

Magnus: [whispers into mic] He's just mad because he always gets the smallest helping of wet dressing at Christmas

Alec: ANYHOO. During Christmas I like to plan ahead on my decorations. Everything has to be perfect otherwise it'll bother me for the rest of the holidays. Everything needs to have a special place in my home

Magnus: I have a mini tree I put up every year. It's two feet tall. I just throw on a few decorations and that's the extent of my holiday decorating

Alec: That's just sad

Magnus: Well not everyone can afford a big ass tree, Mr. Radio Boy. How big is your tree?

Alec: You know the saying, right? It's not about the size but about the-

Magnus: I don't think [giggles] I don't think that's what that saying applies to

Alec: I think it applies to everything. As for my tree, it's about my height. A bit taller. It's white and I decorate the hell out of it every year

Magnus: Artificial?

Alec: Sadly. I'd love to have a real tree in my apartment but it's just not big enough to house one. Plus getting it up and down the stairs would be a real pain in the ass

Magnus: Elevators are a thing

Alec: Shut up

Magnus: I used to have this real nice wreath too that I used to put up on my door. It broke last year. Just fell apart in my hands

Alec: That's unfortunate

Magnus: It was my favorite wreath

Alec: [plays funeral music]

Magnus: Appropriate

Alec: Speaking of decorations, my mother is a big fan of Christmas. Last year my childhood home won New York's Best Decorated

Magnus: That's a thing?

Alec: I'll pretend you never said that. She was so proud of the fact that you could the house from space too. I guess two months worth of planning really pays off after all

Magnus: She plans for two months?! What the hell happened to Halloween? Thanksgiving? Remembrance Day?

Alec: Doesn't exist apparently. And I doubt anyone decorates for November 11th

Magnus: Well then. I've never met your mother but bless her soul. I admire her dedication

Alec: Hear that, mom? Magnus admires your hard work and dedication 

Magnus: She knows we're dating right?

Alec: Well if she didn't before she certainly does now

Magnus: [awkward silence]

Alec: I'm going to reel this back in to our original conversation. Yeah so my mom goes all out for Christmas and never fails to impress. The mayor of New York even commented on the lights once

Magnus: Really? What did he say?

Alec: [clears throat] "Mrs. Lightwood I kindly ask you to please shut down those lights. You're using up precious city resources and also causing health issues for a lot of people"

Magnus: [laughs loudly] Oh my god!

Alec: Then she shut it down

Magnus: [is still laughing]

Alec: While Magnus is trying to catch his breath we're going to go to a commercial break so stick around. This is Alec In The AM. We'll be right back

Commercial: Can't sleep at night? Thoughts keeping you awake? Tired of waking up ready for a nap? You need The Silent Brothers. This unique new practice is family run and is known to help silence those annoying thoughts and help you finally get a good night's sleep. Call today to book an appointment and get the sleep that you deserve. The Silent Brothers. Silencing the voices since 2016

Alec: And we're back! Magnus has finally caught his breath and stopped laughing

Magnus: I'm so sorry. The story about your mom just struck me as hilarious

Alec: My mom didn't think it was but I'm sure a few years from now she'll look back at this and laugh as hard as you did

Magnus: Speaking of laughing, were there any gifts that you received growing up that made you laugh?

Alec: I don't about about laugh but I got a toy car once that was broken when I opened it. I cried

Magnus: I didn't picture you as a car kid

Alec: I wasn't. My parents thought I'd be interested in cars because cars are associated with boys-

Magnus: That's stereotypical

Alec: I know-

Magnus: What if you were interested in makeup instead?

Alec: I-I'm not. I was interested in archery

Magnus: .....archery?

Alec: Yeah. My dad took me out once and had me try out a bow. I thought it was amazing and wanted a bow for Christmas so I could join archery classes. I got cars instead

Magnus: This just got real dark real fast

Alec: Yeah. Sorry listeners. Didn't mean to ruin the mood 

Magnus: It's okay, Alexander. We've all at least one bad Christmas in our lifetime

Alec: True. What about you?

Magnus: I can safely say that every Christmas I've had was satisfactory

Alec: Oh come on. Don't be cryptic

Magnus: I'm not being cryptic. I'm being coy

Alec: Touché 

Magnus: In all seriousness I have a good Christmas every year. Every gift I receive I keep close to the heart. Regardless of what it is

Alec: So if someone got you a dead rat for Christmas you'd cherish it forever?

Magnus: Now just you listen-

Alec: I know what to get you for Christmas now

Magnus: You know. I was considering getting you an archery set for Christmas but since you're being a little [bleep] you're getting squat now instead

Alec: Whoa. I was only joking. Who put coal in your stocking?

Magnus: No one! I was just saying. Keep up with that attitude and I won't get you anything for Christmas

Alec: You don't have to get me anything. Your love is all I need

Magnus: [sniffles] Aww. You're totally forgiven for the rat comment

Alec: Thank you Mags. But I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today! We'll have to wrap it up here but tune in tonight to our late night podcast Malec Late At Night. I'm your host Alec, bringing you updates live from the Big Apple itself

Magnus: And I'm Magnus Bane who's off from work today and is going to binge watch Stranger Things when he gets home. Season two is now on Netflix in case you didn't know

Alec: [snickers] And we'll catch you in the AM. Have a great day, New York


	3. Chapter Three

"Great show today, Alexander. You were amazing as always."

Slipping his headphones off, Alec smirked up at Magnus. "Thanks. You were amazing too. Do you find that shows are getting easier to record?"

"Oh absolutely. It just feels like we're having a conversation. Just me and you. It's not like millions of people are listening in on us, right?"

The hallway was bustling when they exited the recording room. Everyone was working twice the speed they usually were since Magnus joined the show. Their social media exploded. Downloads for the podcast skyrocketed. Magnus became an instant star after his first show. The masses loved him. 

"You're not as nervous, I'll give you that. I remember your first live show and how you stuttered-"

"Hey. We don't talk about that. It was a dark time," Magnus chuckled. He looped his fingers through Alec's before speaking again. "You doing a show tonight too?"

"Like always. Did you want to join?"

Magnus shook his head. "I would but I just want to stay home and relax. Very rarely do I get days off and I want to enjoy it whenever I can."

Alec's shoulders visibly sagged. "You can't enjoy it with me? Come on, Magnus. Do a show with me tonight."

Magnus closed his eyes as Alec leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Not tonight, angel. I have work in the morning and I need to get to bed early. Call me tomorrow?"

With a sigh, Alec nodded. "Sure. I'll call you."

Magnus kissed him on the lips. "Don't look so defeated. My shift gets over at 4 tomorrow. I'll do a show with you then, okay?" He kissed Alec again. "I love you. And to be fair.....my first show with you was when we made out in your office."

Alec went red in the face. "Love you too." He watched Magnus leave before turning, bumping right into Maia. "Oh. Didn't see you there."

"Because you only have eyes for Bane, right?" Maia winked. "Just kidding. Listen. Great show today. If you do a show tonight, I was thinking you could take a few listener questions from the Twitter page? It'll keep people interested."

"Sure I can do that-hey. I meant to ask you....is everything okay between you and Simon? You've barely said two words to each other all day."

Maia shrugged. "Fine. Why? Did he say anything to you?"

"No. I was just wondering. Usually Simon follows you around like a lost puppy. But lately he's....I don't know. Maybe it's nothing."

Maia took his hand. "Hey. Don't worry about it, okay? I'm not going to let my personal relationships get in the way of my work. So don't you worry your cute little heart over it."

Alec let his nose be booped and sighed. "Okay. But if you ever need anything, my door is always open."

"Except when it's closed." Maia laughed and punched his shoulder. "I'm kidding. You're a good friend, Alec and I'm so glad you're the voice of New York. You're like....God."

"Okay," Alec laughed. "That's a bit of a stretch. What was in your coffee this morning?"

"Swag and female empowerment," she replied. "Anyways I'll catch you later. I have to unpack some new equipment for the recording room. If I don't come out I'm probably taking in the smell of new equipment so I'll remember it forever. Where are you going? Off to your office to dream about your thick man?"

Alec didn't answer. He just rolled his eyes and went into his office. After closing the door behind him, he took a seat at his desk and opened his laptop. The screen lit up with Alec In The AM's website, with Alec's smiling face on the homepage. He cringed at the photo. They needed to update the home page as soon as possible. 

There were emails and comments from listeners that needed answering. Though he wasn't the one that normally handled the website, he liked to go through them sometimes and see what people are saying. The comments were mostly good, with the occasional rude one, but for the most part people were extremely supportive of the show. 

With his finger on the mousepad, he scrolled through the comments one by one. He made a note of a couple of them. His late night show sometimes had a section where he read listener comments and talked about how the show was doing, thanked his listeners, and so on so forth. There was never a moment on the show where he didn't voice his gratitude for the people who supported the podcast since day one. If it weren't for those people, he wouldn't be where he is today. 

A knock came to the door. It opened to reveal Maia. She had bits of plastic caught in her wild curly hair. 

"Dude. Call on line two. It's your mom."

Alec groaned. "Good god. She probably heard me mention dating Magnus over the radio. Did she sound mad?"

Maia raised her hands in surrender. "Hey. She's not my mom. Talk to her and see for yourself."

Alec muttered under his breath as she shut the door to his office. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone. "Alec Lightwood speaking-"

"Cut it out, Alexander. It's just me," Maryse interrupted. "Why aren't you answering your cell? I've been calling you all day. I must've left a dozen or so messages."

Alec checked his phone, which was on silent all morning. Sure enough, there were 12 missed calls and just as many voicemails. "Oh. I guess I had my phone in my office. I did have a show to do this morning. But you have me on the line now. What's up?"

Maryse snorted. "Don't what's up me. I listened to the show. When were you going to tell me that you were dating Magnus Bane?"

Alec ran a hand over his face. "Mom. I was going to tell you eventually. I just thought it was too early-"

"So ten years from now is what you're saying?"

"Mom-" Alec clenched his jaw. "That's not what I'm saying. It's still new. It's new for me. Plus it's not like you'll be fully accepting anyway so I don't know why you're so upset."

Maryse was silent for a moment. "I'm not upset. I'm just...never mind. I just wanted confirmation. I got what I needed. Also, your dad is having a barbecue this evening if you're interested in dropping by the house for a bite to eat. Have a good day, son."

She hung up after that. Alec slammed the receiver down and grumbled under his breath. That's when Maia knocked on the door and popped back in. 

"So was she mad?" She hissed. 

"Jesus. Were you waiting just outside the door for me to finish or something?"

She shrugged. "Can't a friend show her concern from behind closed doors?"

Alec glared at her. "To answer your question.....no. She wasn't mad per se. She was just upset that I didn't tell her about my new boyfriend-" He winced as Maia squeaked. "Ow? What was that for?"

Maia smacked his arm. "Your boyfriend! You have a boyfriend!" She smacked him again. "I'm so fucking happy for you!"

Alec rubbed his throbbing arm. "Can you be happy for me without physically assaulting me?"

It was her turn to glare at him. "Let me be happy for you, Alexander Gideon Lightwood. This is the first time I've seen you this genuinely happy. Apart from doing the show that is."

A smile crept up on Alec's face. "Thanks, Roberts. At least one person is happy for me."

"Anything for you, big guy." She kissed him on the cheek. "Now put some ice on that arm. I'm wearing rings. They'll leave a mark if you don't."

"Duly noted!" Alec sang out when the door to his office closed. Sighing deeply, he reached over to his box of doughnuts and went for the last pink frosting one, but there wasn't any in the box. Instead there was a yellow sticky note in its place. On it were five simple words in elegant cursive writing. 

"Don't kill me. Love you"


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I made an account on twitter for this fic. It’s a fun way for you readers to get directly involved with the story! Any tweets you send will be read out by Alec here in the story for his podcast. Cool huh? If you have a twitter you can follow @AlecInTheAM and talk with Alec himself hahaha

Alec: Good evening, New York City. You're listening to Alec Late At Night. Now I know the show has been recently changed to Malec Late At Night but my cohost has decided tonight that Netflix was much more important than doing a show with me so I fired him. 

[laughs] I'm kidding. I didn't fire him. I let him enjoy his day off and he promised he'll be back for tomorrow's episode. Hopefully he's finished binge watching Stranger Things by then. You'll be missed until then, Mr. Bane. 

So I did some creeping through the comment section on the website tonight. I like to do that every now and then just to see what people are saying and find new ways to improve the show. Needless to say there was an abundance of comments that I'll be reading out for tonight's episode but for now I want to take a brief moment and thank everyone who takes some of their time to listen to this ridiculous little podcast. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you guys. 

So comment time. I took these fresh off the radio show's website this morning. Scrolled through thirty or so pages before I started getting into the ones I've already seen. And yes. I see mostly everything you guys post both on the site, Facebook page and on our Twitter. My boss tells me it's not my job to monitor the social media outlets but if I'm going to be hosting these shows, I have to know what the people are saying and what they want, right? So that's why I like seeing what you guys are saying. Good and bad. 

Right [clears throat]. Let's get right to it, shall we? This comment comes from Tessa Gray from New York. She says "Hi Alec! Love your show. My husband and I listen every morning before we go to work and listen your podcast at night when the episode is uploaded. I just wanted to say keep up the great work and I look forward to listening to future episodes. You make my day much better." 

Aww. Thank you, Tessa. I'm glad I could put a smile on your face everyday. Quite frankly, I love being able to make people's days better. It's my one goal in life, to make sure people are happy. This show has always been my number one source to really connect with people and hear their stories. It's helped me find my voice as well as be a voice for those without one so it's an honor to be able to make your day that much better. Hope you're doing well, Tessa. 

This next comment is from Tiberius Blackthorn-now that's a warrior name-from Los Angeles, California. Tiberius said "Hello Alec. My name is Tiberius but you may call me Ty. I'm 15 years old. I listen to your show every day and have found that there's several components in which you can improve upon. On smaller devices such as phones, your audio quality isn't as clear as what it is on larger devices such as laptops or television speakers. Perhaps you can give your listeners a choice as to what quality they wish to listen to the show with? That way they can enjoy the sound to its fullest without nuisance noises. Love your show and I hope to meet you at Pod Con one day."

Well Ty. Thank you for pointing that out. I'm actually working on a solution for the audio problem with my staff. This isn't the first time someone's mentioned crappy audio so we immediately jumped in to fix the problem. I'm hoping we'll have it fixed as soon as possible so thank you again for letting us know. As for Pod Con, there's a good chance I'll be headed to LA pretty soon for the convention so I hope to meet you then, little man. 

One final comment before we move along to my other topic. Last but not least, we have Jessie Lovelace from all the way in London, England. Wow. She said "Hi Alexander from across the pond! Just wanted to quickly pop in and say that I absolutely love your show! Since Magnus joined, I've been more apt to tune in. Before you were such a bore with your droning American accent but since Magnus Bane joined the show....it's like he unlocked something in you. I can't stop listening! You two are the definition of soulmates and I can't wait for you two to get married and have all kinds of children. Best of luck to you in future. Love the show!"

Well.....thank you Jessie for that lovely comment. That was a roller coaster of a compliment you have there. Again, I don't expect all of the comments sent to our social media to be all positive. We get the occasional negative nelly with a sour mouth, or in this case sour fingers. They don't bother me. They never did. I take all of those types of comments with a grain of salt. But I read them anyway because it reminds me that there are people out there who genuinely want to make people feel bad about themselves and get a sense of accomplishment from that. I think it's important that we don't let these people get into our heads and ruin what we love. We need to give them the benefit of the doubt. 

This actually brings me to my next topic but before I do, here's a word from my sponsor. 

Sponsor: Whether you can't cook or just don't feel like doing the dishes, Meal Deal can help you with that. You can choose from dozens of popular restaurants near you and have your order delivered right to your door! Meal Deal offers special deals on all your favorite restaurants and even lets you sign up to receive notifications on special discounts for future meals! You can download the app for free on Android and Apple devices and you can also visit our website at www.mealdeal.com for more information on how you can get a deal for your meal

Alec: And we're back! Before we cut to commercial we were talking about people who send hateful messages online to others. This is also known as cyber bullying, as everyone probably already knows. This is a serious issue and needs to be addressed more in both schools and in the workplace. 

Here my two cents on the matter: cyber bullying is just as bad as being bullied face to face. The effects are still the same; it's damaging both mentally and emotionally. Sometimes even psychologically. I can't even begin to stress how dire any situation of cyber bullying is. So if you know anyone you think is going through this, there are endless amounts of outlets you can contact to get help. Whether it's for you or for your loved one, don't wait. The longer you wait, the more damage that is being done. I've provided you with links to websites that you can check out for more information. They're in the description below so please check them out. 

During commercial break I was texting my boyfriend, whom all of you seem to love more than the host of this show-I'm kidding. I was texting him and asking how his binge watching was going. He said he's nearly finished the season and can't believe the shit that's happened. He wouldn't go into details because he didn't want to "ruin it" for me but he said I'm going to like the new season. You know, I thought it'd be cute if he and I cuddled on the couch and watched the season together as a couple but I guess that won't be happening anytime soon. Thanks, asshole. I love you too. 

In other news, I went to a family barbecue this evening. Not much to tell there. Saw my brothers and sister. My mom was welcoming as ever and my dad makes a mean steak. Oh and my youngest sibling tried cooking his own steak. The barbecue went up in flames, naturally. Thankfully no one was hurt but a steak went to waste. I guess you could say that Max put lives at steak. 

[laughs] Oh boy. I must be getting delirious with sleep. I think I'm going to wrap up tonight's episode right here. I just need some sleep. I'm so tired I could just collapse right now. But I have to clue up the show, right? 

So that's it for tonight's episode of Alec Late At Night. As usual, I'm your host Alec Lightwood. Sweet dreams New York. I'll catch you in the AM.


	5. Chapter Five

Alec: Good morning, New York. Welcome to another episode of Alec In The AM. I'm your host, Alec Lightwood and we've got a great show for you today. I'm here with the amazing Magnus Bane who is sitting beside me bursting with something to tell you

Magnus: Well duh. You'd be excited too if you finally passed a level on Candy Crush that you've been stuck on for weeks 

Alec: Oh. Well congrats I guess

Magnus: Thank you, Alexander. I'm very proud of myself. At first you don't succeed, right?

Alec: Wise words. Shall I tell the listeners what we have up our sleeves for today?

Magnus: By all means

Alec: So we got a great show for you listeners today. We're talking about a very important topic today and it's a sensitive one at that

Magnus: Rated PG?

Alec: Something like that. We're talking about sexuality and how parents should handle their child's coming out

Magnus: What do you mean by handle? Coming out should be wholly accepted. Their kids aren't animals

Alec: I didn't mean it like that. I meant that they can be understanding and educate themselves. Shouldn't any parent want to more about what their child is interested in?

Magnus: Absolutely! I mean regardless of what it is-a tv show, a hobby, their sexuality. It's all important. Every parent should be supportive of anything their child feels they're interested in. Hell, a rock collection is more accepted than your son coming out as gay

Alec: How old were you when you came out to your family?

Magnus: God. Twelve? Thirteen? I knew from a young age that I was interested in boys and girls. I just didn't have a name for what I was feeling

Alec: But once you knew, your parents were accepting of you?

Magnus: They were confused at first. But eventually they asked me how I felt and was it what I really wanted. I told them I was sure of my own feelings and it wasn't about what I wanted. I didn't choose to be bisexual. Just like I didn't choose to have brown eyes or be strikingly handsome-

Alec: Like that's ever been a problem for you

Magnus: [chuckles] No. But they learned to fully accept me eventually and things have been smooth sailing ever since

Alec: So they know about us?

Magnus: Indeed they do. My mother thinks you're a [speaks Indonesian]

Alec: You'll have to translate

Magnus: She thinks you're a beautiful young man. She's a sucker for dark hair and hazel eyes. Guess I get it from her

Alec: I'm glad your family is accepting. Wish I could say the same

Magnus: Your siblings don't accept that you're gay?

Alec: Oh they do. All three of them do. It's my parents that aren't too convinced

Magnus: Then you need new parents

Alec: [laughs] I wish it were that easy but it's not

Magnus: Well if it's any consolation I completely accept you

Alec: .....you're my boyfriend. You better accept me

Magnus: I do. Wholeheartedly. If I loved you any more than I do now my heart would burst and make a mess everywhere 

Alec: I love you too. And I hate to cut you off but we're going to take a quick commercial break and when we come back we're diving right back into a charity that I've started a few months back. So stay right there because we'll be right back with some more Alec In The AM

[Too Soon by Rock Solid Panda plays]

Alec: And we're back! That was Rock Solid Pandas new song Too Soon which is now available on iTunes so if you want to support a great local band, download that song and show your support 

Magnus: I love their songs. I have them all downloaded on my phone. Is Simon working today? I want to say thank you in person for making such good music

Alec: He is actually. We'll pop by his office later and give him our thanks. But for now I want to raise awareness for a charity that I created a few months ago that helps support LGBTQ youth that were kicked out of their homes by their families

Magnus: That's actually a really nice idea. Tell me more

Alec: Here's the basics. My dad graciously let me use one of his buildings and set it up as a home for youths. So the kids that were put out on the streets can come in and we provide them with food, shelter, tutors if they need one, and a support group to help them through this tough time

Magnus: Can people volunteer to help? 

Alec: They certainly can. Anyone who's willing to spend a few hours of their day with the youth can come on down here to the studio and sign their names to a list and any skills you have that might be beneficial to the kids. We're looking for teachers, guidance counsellors, anyone really. All you need to do is drop by the studio and sign your name. It's that easy

Magnus: You truly are a beautiful specimen of a man. Not only are you strikingly handsome, your heart is in the right place. You really do care so much for these kids

Alec: Someone has to. Not everyone is blessed with an understanding family as we stated earlier. The situation is 50/50. It can go beautifully and there sunshines and rainbows everywhere. Or it can go seriously wrong. A complete car wreck. My goal is to be there for the kids that have to experience the car wreck 

Magnus: Just a quick question for you. What about if the kid's family don't want them back? What happens then?

Alec: The best thing we can do is contact Child Services and put them in the system-

Magnus: The system can be cruel sometimes, Alexander. You know that, right?

Alec: I do. But we can only hope they're placed into a loving foster home-maybe even get adopted-where they're loved and supported 110%

Magnus: Well I'm definitely writing my name down on that list later. I love kids. I want ten of my own in the future. Adoption, of course. There's so many kids out there who are in need of a good home and I know I can provide them with one 

Alec: That's really thoughtful. I mean why overpopulate the earth even more when there's kids without a home that people can give them? If I were to ever want kids, I'd definitely adopt

Magnus: [mumbles]

Alec: What was that?

Magnus: Nothing. Just talking to myself. We should take some calls before we clue up today's show

Alec: Good idea. If you have any questions about today's topic or anything at all, you can call our number 707-6735. That's 707-6735. Looks like we got some callers already!

Magnus: Excellent! Line 5 you're on the air with Magnus and Alec

Caller: Good morning guys! How are you today?

Alec: We're fantastic, caller. How are you and what's your name?

Caller: My name is Kit and I'm okay I guess. My mom doesn't know I skipped school today 

Magnus: Well Kit if she's listening, she knows now. What's up, little man? What's your question?

Kit: I have a question about the youth home. Do we have to meet certain requirements? Like age or whatever?

Alec: There are no requirements, Kit. The home will accept any youth that either got kicked from their homes or they ran away from it. The doors are always open and we welcome anyone who needs a roof over their head. Does that answer your question?

Kit: Yeah. Thanks. I was just....asking for a friend, you know? Checking things out

Magnus: You're a good friend, Kit. Hope everything turns out okay

Kit: Thanks. Great show today guys

Alec: Thank you, buddy [end of call] Do we have time for one more?

Magnus: Uh.....Maia is saying yes so I guess we do

Alec: Alighty. Let's pick line.....two. Line two you're on the air with Alec and Magnus!

Caller: [silence]

Alec: .....hello? Is anyone there?

Caller: GOD HATES GAYS [hangs up]

Magnus: The nerve of some people

Alec: I'm used to it, Magnus. Don't worry about it

Magnus: Don't worry about it? I have to! I worry that one day these types of comments will get to you and it'll destroy the one thing you love doing most and that's connecting with the people!

Alec: Magnus. Seriously. It's fine

Magnus: I don't believe you but okay. Give me your location next time, caller. I'll choke the life out of you-

Alec: And unfortunately that's all the time we have for today's show! Tune in tonight for a new episode of Malec Late At Night and yes, it's MALEC NIGHT because Magnus here has the night off

Magnus: I'm excited. There's no filter on the podcast. I've been dying to say [muted] all morning

Alec: [laughs] Thank you New York for tuning in. I'm your host Alec, bringing you updates live from the Big Apple itself. And as always, we'll catch you in the AM

Magnus: BYE BYE


	6. Chapter Six

"Coming over tonight?" 

Magnus placed his headphones on their stand. "Of course. I said I would, didn't I?"

Alec shrugged. "Just wanted to make sure. You missed the last podcast. The fans missed you."

Smiling, Magnus pulled Alec towards him and planted a warm kiss on his lips. "Stop referring to yourself as 'the fans'. Just admit you missed me."

A laugh escaped Alec's throat. "Fine. I missed you. The bed felt empty without you."

Magnus placed a hand on his chest. "Aww. You sappy shit. You're so cute that I just want to-"

The door to the recording booth opened and Maia stepped inside. "Sorry to interrupt happy time, boys. Just wanted to say great show as usual and we already have people at our door signing up for the youth home!"

Alec and Magnus looked at each other with broad smiles. They wanted to see for themselves who was signing up so they stepped outside to the lobby. Sure enough, there were people bent over a clipboard and signing on to volunteer. 

"This is amazing!" Magnus exclaimed. "It's crazy how fast the news spread. We only just announced it minutes ago!"

A young woman approached Alec. She had long dark hair tied back into a tight ponytail and a gentle face with brown eyes. She stuck out her hand for Alec to shake. 

"Alec, right? The radio guy," she said.

"That would be me," Alec nodded. "How can I help you?"

The woman smiled. "You already did. I'm Aline. Penhallow. Alone Penhallow. Your coming out on the radio helped me and inspired me to come out to my parents. I haven't regretted it since."

Alec felt a blush rise in his cheeks. "Oh. Well....I'm glad I inspired you."

"And that's not all," Aline gushed. "I finally asked the girl of my dreams out on a date that exact same day. She said yes!" She turned and pointed to someone in the lobby. "That's her. Helen."

Helen looked up from the clipboard. When she saw that she was being pointed at, she smiled and quickly glanced down at the flow, her blonde hair falling into her face. She brushed it back behind her ear with a hand before waving at them. 

Alec waved. "She's very pretty. You two look cute together."

Aline beamed. "She's amazing. It's so weird because she heard your radio show that same day too. You moved a lot of people that day, Alec. Helped a lot of people accept themselves."

Magnus nudged Alec with an elbow. "That's my boyfriend. Being all inspiring and stuff. Is this your first time at the studio?"

Aline shook her head. "I came here a few years ago to help paint the wall outside. Oddly enough, that's where I first met Helen."

They were interrupted as Helen made her way over to them and placed a gentle hand on Aline's arm. 

"You ready to go? Our names are on the list." She looked up at Alec and Magnus. "Hi. I'm Helen."

Both men shook her hand. "Helen. Nice to meet you. What skills are you bringing to the team?" Alec asked her. 

"Well Aline here is a teacher. I'm a child psychologist. We figured we should give back to the kids that weren't as fortunate as we were when we came out. Help them through a rough time." 

"That's amazing. I didn't think we'd get a psychologist as a volunteer," said Alec. "I didn't even think we'd get this many people. Especially in such a short amount of time."

Magnus pat him on the shoulder. "What did you expect? Popular guy like you. Setting up a charitable home for LGBTQ youth. It shows that you care and people are drawn to that."

Aline and Helen both nodded in agreement. "Magnus is right. This home is going to be so good for this city and I can't wait to get started on helping the kids," Helen smiled. "Thank you both so much. For everything."

They hugged the men before leaving the lobby. The other volunteers had come and gone long ago and by the looks of the list, Alec had a fair amount of names on the sign up sheet. 

"If I didn't already tell you that I'm proud of you," Magnus whispered in Alec's ear, "I'm telling you now. I'm so proud of you, handsome."

Alec smiled crookedly. "Thanks. I can't believe all my hard work finally paid off-Maia! Are we leaving the sign up sheet out front here so people can come in and write their names down?"

Maia, who was passing by holding a box of pizza, nodded. "Sure. It's the best place for it if you ask me. I'll get Simon to type up some pamphlets with some more info about it. Just leave the info you want him to know on his desk before the end of the day."

"Will do," Alec nodded. "I'll go write up the info in my office there now-" He was cut off as Magnus planted a kiss on his cheek. 

Maia rolled her eyes as she bit into a slice of pizza. "You two are so disgustingly cute that I might barf."

Magnus had a twinkle in his eyes as Alec looked at him. "We already know. Don't we, gorgeous?"


	7. Chapter Seven

Alec: Good evening, New York City. You're listening to Malec Late At Night. Yes it's actually an episode of Malec and not just Alec this time around. My cohost is here with me tonight. Say hello Magnus

Magnus: Hello Magnus

Alec: [snorts] That's not what I meant

Magnus: I know what you meant. I just thought it'd be funny if I said it. Made you laugh, didn't it?

Alec: True. So what's the topic for tonight? I didn't get a chance to go over any notes or even make any for tonight's episode. We're just sort of winging it here

Magnus: You did have a busy day with the volunteers and whatnot

Alec: Also true. Can you believe the turnout though? We have over twenty people so far sign up to volunteer. That's pretty good, all things considered

Magnus: How many do you need exactly?

Alec: is like to have around 50 if possible. That way I can devise a schedule and everyone can take shifts. If someone can't make it in, someone else can take their place. Why are you looking at me like that?

Magnus: Because my boyfriend is absolutely amazing. My eyes are being blessed by his Holiness here

Alec: Stop it

Magnus: Listeners he's blushing so much right now. He looks like a tomato

Alec: I do not look like a tomato! It's the-it's the heating on here. I need to get it fixed

Magnus: Well I am in the same room as you so I totally understand

Alec: [mutters] Anyway. Back on topic here. The support for my project has been incredible so far and I'm excited to see where it'll go from here

Magnus: It wouldn't surprise me if you were named Person of the Year by Time Magazine

Alec: I doubt that'll happen

Magnus: I think it will. Just you wait, Alexander. Just you wait

Alec: Well thanks I guess [clears throat] This just crossed my mind but earlier someone asked if we were selling any Rock Solid Panda merch-

Magnus: Is that what Simon's calling the band now?

Alec: Yeah. Why?

Magnus: I thought it was something about an Enigma?

Alec: .....he's Rock Solid Panda. You must be thinking about his old band names. The ones where he was just testing them out to see which one stuck

Magnus: And the panda one did?

Alec: I guess if people want to buy shirts and stuff from us

Magnus: Huh. Okay. Ignore me. I'm just thinking out loud. Continue

Alec: .....right. Anyway, if you're looking to buy merch you can do so by visiting www.rocksolidpanda.com and clicking the Merch section. It'll lead you right to everything you can buy. I'll leave a link in the description

Magnus: I heard Simon is super famous now. His song "Forever Young" reached #1 in the US over the past week 

Alec: It did! Congrats to my mixer. Don't forget us when you're performing for 100,000 fans

Magnus: Do you know if he's working on any new songs?

Alec: I have no idea. I could ask him before the show tomorrow morning and maybe make an announcement as promo. Do you listen to his music?

Magnus: I do. It's very refreshing and he has a nice voice. He could go very far in the music industry 

Alec: Agreed. I hope he gets signed one day and quits his job. He deserves better

Magnus: You make it sound like he hates what he's doing now

Alec: He doesn't. I swear. He works hard and loves his job. He just deserves to live out his dream, you know? We all do

Magnus: Of course. I used to want to be a veterinarian when I was a kid but once I realized I can't stomach the look of blood, that dream quickly faded. But now I have a new dream

Alec: What is it?

Magnus: Your dream is my dream

Alec: You cheeseball

Magnus: [snickers]

Alec: We're going to take a quick commercial break but when we come back we'll talk about....what can we talk about?

Magnus: Beats me. You're the one who were going to wing it

Alec: Always so helpful

Magnus: I try

Alec: [sighs] And now a word from our sponsor

Commercial: Starkweather's Pizza proudly presents the Make Your Own Pizza combo. For just $10.99, you can create your own large pizza with as many toppings as you like with a medium garlic fingers and a 2L Pepsi to drink. So come down to Starkweather's and enjoy our family friendly restaurant hospitality. Starkweather's. We know good pizza 

Alec: Welcome back. That commercial made me hungry actually

Magnus: Same. We could order something later after the show if you'd like. I'll buy

Alec: That actually sounds really good. I'm starving

Magnus: [laughs] Tell the listeners what happened during commercial break

Alec: I'd rather not

Magnus: Well if you won't then I will [laughs] Listeners Alec here was getting up from the chair and being as stupidly long and lanky as he is, he tripped up over his own feet and fell over. It was hilarious

Alec: Thanks for humiliating me in front of millions of people, Mags. No really. Thank you

Magnus: It was cute, Alexander. Don't be so tense about it. You looked adorable as you gracefully fell to the floor

Alec: [chuckles] Graceful was exactly what I was going for

Magnus: You're so cute it's almost sickening

Alec: Again. Stop

Magnus: If any of our listeners are on Twitter, tweet my sweet Alexander @ AlecInTheAM and tell him how adorable he is using the hashtag #MalecLateAtNight

Alec: They don't need to do that-

Magnus: I'm going to squish your cute little face later in bed and then slowly take off your shirt-

Alec: Okay! Wow would you look at the time. That's a wrap on tonight's episode. Sorry we didn't talk about anything specific but I promise you next time, we will definitely have a topic of interest 

Magnus: You're a topic of interest

Alec: And you're annoying. Cute but annoying. Thank you for tuning into tonight's episode. Next time we will be taking Twitter questions about the fast approaching holiday season. So that's it for tonight's episode of Malec Late At Night. As usual, I'm your host Alec Lightwood. Sweet dreams New York. I'll catch you in the AM.

Magnus: And I'm Magnus Bane, about to sign off and spend some quality time with my man. Goodnight, listeners. Goodnight


	8. Chapter Eight

They both collapsed onto Alec's bed, kissing and grasping at each other in a desparate air to get their clothes off. Alec's shirt fell to the floor first, then Magnus' jacket. 

"That was graceful," Magnus breathed into Alec's neck. He smelled just like soap and aftershave. 

"Just like when I trip," Alec breathily laughed. He reached down and with his fingers, slid Magnus' shirt up along the barista's back and stomach. 

The reaction it made caused Magnus to shiver in response. 

Alec paused. "Cold?" 

Magnus shook his head. "Far from it. My entire body is on fire. Electrified."

He bent his head down again and pressed his warm lips against Alec's. A groaned escaped both of their mouths in unison and they both burst into giggles mid-kiss. This continued several minutes before they were stripped down to their underwear. 

"Calvin Klein?" Magnus asked while he snapped the elastic band of Alec's boxer briefs against his skin. 

Alec winced. "Ow. American Eagle?" 

"Sometimes. When I'm feeling feisty I like to to au natural."

Alec smirked and pulled Magnus down towards him again. They both froze when the doorbell rang. 

"Are we expecting company?" Magnus asked. 

"Not that I know-oh shit. We ordered pizza, remember?"

They both laughed, foreheads pressed together. 

"You stay there. I'll answer the door," Magnus said as he slipped his pants back on. As he zipped up he looked over his shoulder and asked "Please tell me you ordered one with no pineapple."

Alec shrugged. "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't."

Grumbling under his breath, Magnus went to the door and opened it. A young man with curly hair and a goatee stood there holding two pizza boxes in his hands. 

"Lightwood residence?" He asked. He didn't seem the least bit phased by Magnus' shirtless body. 

Magnus nodded. "Indeed it is. How much do I owe you?"

"Your total is $24.99," the man droned. 

Magnus handed him $30. "Keep the change. Have a good one."

Alec was up and getting some plates down from his cupboards when Magnus returned with their late night dinner. "I would have at least put a shirt on before answering the door."

"Alexander. And deny the world of all this?" Magnus indicated his chest and abs with a hand. "Why would I do that? I have nothing to be ashamed of."

Alec's eyes roamed over the other man's six pack before clearing his throat. "Let's eat. I'm starving."

Magnus smirked. "In more ways than one, I'm sure."

"Oh shut up," Alec snorted. "Just eat your damn pizza. Want something to drink?"

Magnus yelped after biting into a hot slice. "Yeah that would be nice. What do you have?"

The fridge door opened and Alec took a look inside. "I have water, milk, juice and beer."

Magnus sighed. "Do you have any wine?"

"Wine?" Alec shrugged. "I can look but I doubt-oh okay. I guess I do have wine. When did that get there?"

Magnus opened the bottle and poured some into both of their wine glasses. "Who knows? Some people sleepwalk. Maybe you buy wine walk."

Alec rolled his eyes at this. "Ha ha. Very funny. But isn't this dinner a little cliché? Bread, wine and cheese?"

"Cliché? No. I was thinking more along the lines of romantic but if you think our dates are cliché then I think I need to step up my game here."

"I didn't mean it like that-"

"I know what you meant, you meatball." Magnus flicked a slice of pepperoni at Alec's face. Much to his delight, it stuck to his boyfriend's forehead and caused Magnus to burst out into hard laughter. 

Alec, on the other hand, wasn't pleased. "I'm glad this amuses you," he grumbled as Magnus started laughing so hard he burst into tears. 

"Me too," Magnus wailed. He wiped his eyes and giggled for a few more minutes before he actually calmed down enough to form a coherent sentence. "Oh boy. That was too good for words. I should've taken a picture and posted it on the site."

Alec choked on his bite of pizza. "You wouldn't dare. I wouldn't let you."

Magnus tossed his crust into the garbage. "You and what army? People love seeing the real you. Pepperoni head and all."

Alec threw a piece of pineapple at Magnus in an attempt to get back at him. To his disgust, Magnus caught it in his mouth like a pro. "Screw you. Can't you let me win for once? Just one time?"

Walking around Alec, Magnus stood behind him to wrap his arms around Alec's waist and rest his chin on the taller man's shoulder. "Maybe one day I will. But today's not that day."

Alec closed his eyes as he felt Magnus gently kiss the side of his neck. "Are you up for a movie tonight? We can see what's on Netflix or something."

"Not tonight babe," Magnus answered. "I'm just going to take a quick shower and head on to bed. I have work in the morning. You staying up late?"

Alec closed the now empty box of Hawaiian pizza (he hadn't realized that he ate the whole box by himself) and threw it in the trash. "I don't think so. I have a show to do in the morning. Besides Maia would kill me if I came in looking like a zombie."

"It's radio. Who's going to know?" Magnus chuckled as Alec smiled broadly before pecking him on the lips. "Just don't stay up too late. I don't like sleeping in an empty bed these days."

"I'll be in later. Warm my spot up for me?"

Magnus felt his heart almost burst with joy as Alec continued to look at him with his beautiful dimpled smile. "Will do. Don't keep me waiting, Lightwood."

Alec chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it, Bane."


	9. Nine

Alec: Good morning New York City! You're listening to Alec In The AM. I'm your host Alec Lightwood and we've got a really interesting show for you today. I called a friend of mine for a favor and he gladly agreed to come in and have an interview with me. He's actually sitting with me right now. Listeners, let me introduce you to a very good friend of mine, Detective Luke Garroway of the NYPD. Luke it's great to have you here 

Luke: It's great to be here. I love your show-both of them, actually. The entire squad listens to you every morning and we really enjoy it

Alec: Thank you so much! I know it's been a while since we last spoke but I wanted to give the listeners some inside on what goes on inside the police precinct. What's a typical day like for you?

Luke: Oh man. It's never a dull moment that's for sure. I work in the Homicide Department. A typical day for me involves making several arrests, investigating a homicide which New York is never short of, and settling domestic disputes. And that's just the tip of the iceberg

Alec: That sounds like one hell of a day. Do you ever take a break?

Luke: Crime never takes a break. But I do catch a few lunch breaks here and there so I can relax for a few minutes until I get a call

Alec: So what types of calls do you usually get? And were there any that deeply troubled you?

Luke: I usually get calls for armed robberies. A lot of that happening in the city. There may be an occasional call from time to time about a murder but that's rare even for my department. As for troubling calls, there was one that put a permanent chill under my skin and I don't think I can talk about that over the radio. Classified information 

Alec: That's fine. I understand. Next question is about the adorable pups that work with you on the K-9 team

Luke: [laughs] They're vicious. Loyal but ruthless. They show no mercy against the people they're tracking unless we call them off. But they're such a great team of dogs to work with. They're all hard workers, intelligent and love what they're doing. It's all about the reward at the end. A nice juicy dog treat

Alec: That's like anyone at work. It's all about the reward at the end of the day. Either it's money or satisfaction

Luke: Very true. I want to turn this interview around for a minute and ask you some questions 

Alec: .....sure? This should be interesting

Luke: What inspired you to create a home for runaway and abandoned LGBTQ youth? I heard about it on the radio and I was curious as to what made you want to do something like this. You don't have to answer if it'll make you uncomfortable

Alec: No no. It's fine. I don't mind telling you. My inspiration came from my own experience. When I first came out not long ago, I knew that my situation could've been a lot worse had I been younger and still living at home. My parents weren't overly accepting but I guess they more or less tolerated me

Luke: So that's what inspired you to start a home for youth?

Alec: Exactly. If I had been a teen, there's no doubt in my mind I would've been kicked out of my own home. I'm surprised that they haven't completely cut off ties with me yet. But I wanted to create a home for youth who feel abandoned and like they have nowhere else to go. I was fortunate enough not to have to experience abandonment but I feel for the kids who are going through that. So I wanted to help them. Give them a sense of hope. I know this sounds cliché and it's been said a million times but things do get better. Life might be crappy right now but it isn't always going to be like this. Family doesn't end with blood. They've got friends and an entire community of people who feel the same way they do and they can support them through that. Those kids just have to reach out to them

Luke: ....I'm literally at a loss for words. Because of that I have no further questions and conclude this interview

Alec: [laughs] You came here so I could interview you, remember? This is my radio show

[walkie talkie goes off]

Luke: And that's my cue to leave. I don't mean to cut our time here short but I have to take this call. It was awesome seeing you again Alec 

Alec: Absolutely. We should get together for segments more often when you have the time. Thanks for coming in and taking the time to speak to the listeners. Now go save the city

Luke: Will do. And it was my pleasure. Good luck with the rest of the show today

Alec: And that was Detective Luke Garroway from the NYPD. Before we move on to our next segment, we're going to take a quick break so don't go anywhere. We'll be right back after a quick song suggested by a Twitter fan. Here's "Wide Eyed" by Billy Lockett

[Wide Eyed by Billy Lockett starts playing]

Alec: And welcome back! That song you just heard was Wide Eyed by Billy Lockett. Very talented singer. You can buy this song as well as his other ones on iTunes or you can stream them wherever they are available. Now moving onto our next segment, I wanted to take a quick moment to talk about what this radio show as well as the podcast has planned in this new year. 

2018 is going to be pretty big for my podcast, Malec Late At Night. Magnus and I are going to be travelling to PodCon in L.A. later this year so that's pretty exciting. He's looking forward to meeting the fans and I'm looking forward to getting out of New York cold weather and into the warm sun. But also looking forward to meeting fans too. 

I've also been asked to make an appearance on "Good Morning New York" in February. I think I'm allowed to announce that. If I wasn't....oops. But yeah. Looking forward to that as well. 

I was talking to Magnus the other night and he said that we should tour the U.S. sometime. I told him I'd think about it. I mean, it's a great idea. I'd love to tour my beautiful country this summer. Just rent a trailer and travel east coast to west coast with my boyfriend. I think it's a great idea. Do live shows with fans. Take cheesy couple photos in front of tourist attractions and iconic landmarks. The more I talk about it, the more I actually want to do it. I'll have to call Magnus later or meet up with him at work to see if he can get time off. If he can then that would be amazing.

I'm afraid that's all the time I have for today's show. Tune in this evening to Malec Late At Night to find out how my chat with Magnus went. Of course he'll be there with me so he'll be giving his insight on our conversation too. 

Thank you New York for tuning in. I'm your host Alec, bringing you updates live from the Big Apple itself. And as always, I'll catch you in the AM. Have a wonderful day, listeners


End file.
